All but one of Wyoming’s five major wildfires that have burned nearly 460,000 acres are at least two-thirds contained.
The lightning-caused Fish Creek Fire near the Fremont and Teton County line is showing 37% completion of firefighting tasks after having burned 11,507 acres in the heavily forested region off Togwotee Pass.
On Friday, crews had planned to drop small pingpong ball-sized projectiles full of combustible chemicals via helicopter onto unburned pockets of fuel in controlled regions.
“They had planned yesterday to possibly do it, and they didn’t,” said Steve Best, public information officer for Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1, which is fighting the fire.
Best said he didn’t know for sure, but he suspected the weather wasn’t perfect for the manmade fires Thursday.
“Conditions have to be just right to do a firing operation like that,” said Best.
The idea is to gouge pockets of unburned fuel under controlled circumstances, so the fire has less to consume should it reach the area, he added.
In northeast Wyoming, four more fires measuring tens of thousands of acres each are at least 66% contained or more.
Campbell County
The Flat Rock Fire in Campbell County measured at 52,421 acres Friday and was 78% contained. To the east in the same county, the Constitution Fire measured at 24,594 acres Friday and was 95% contained.
Fire crews have started rebuilding ruined structures like fences, while mopping up remaining heat sources on the northern end of the Flat Rock.
Bulldozers and graders are now trying to repair the landscape on the eastern portion of the Constitution Fire, according to a Friday statement by Southwest Area Incident Management Team 5, which has taken over firefighting and repair coordination for northeastern Wyoming’s four largest blazes.
Johnson County
After consuming 174,683 acres in Johnson County, the House Draw Fire is now 94% contained. County officials are urging Gov. Mark Gordon to apply for higher amounts of federal aid, citing millions of dollars in property lost to private landowners.
Sheridan County, Montana
The 196,238-acre Remington Fire crossing northern Sheridan County and multiple counties in southeast Montana is now 76% contained as of Friday afternoon.
“The main focus for … today is going to be this southern end in Wyoming,” Brandon Glenn, operations section chief for the Southwest team, said in a Friday informational video posted to the team’s Facebook page. “Going to get some graders in hopefully onto the fire today, get them plugged in helping these guys out.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
