Ranchers and residents put out of their homes by the Silver Spoon Fire burning in the rural area north of Recluse in northeastern Wyoming may be able to go home Tuesday.
That’s according to the Campbell County Fire Department, which reports making progress fighting the 1,721-acre wildfire Monday.
Residents withing a 10-mile radius of Bitter Creek Road near Anderson Draw were ordered to evacuate Sunday morning after the fire was first discovered and had grown to about 300 acres.
Along with burning grass and threatening ranching operations, the fire also has reportedly been burning in some rugged terrain.
Firefighting operations for the Silver Spoon Fire were turned over to Southwest Area Incident Management Team 5 on Monday evening, a wildfire management group under the umbrella of the National Interagency Fire Center.
Until then, CCFD crews with help from area residents and agencies in southern Montana spent the last day and a half building fire lines and working to gain some control of the fire, said J.R. Fox, deputy chief with the agency and the Campbell County fire warden.
“We did make good progress on that, and our containment lines have been holding through the day,” Fox told Cowboy State Daily.
Team 5 is continuing that work, said Margaret Miller, a spokeswoman for the group.
“They’re working on getting a combination of heavy equipment and hand crews and still trying to get a line around it,” she said, adding she’ll know more Tuesday morning once the team has had more of an opportunity to assess the situation.
The progress has been good enough that the Campbell County Fire Department reports the evacuation order may be lifted, but that’s not definite.
“Evacuation orders will be re-evaluated tonight with the likelihood of lifting them all in the morning,” the agency reports. “Until then, you may continue to get evacuation texts.”
The Broadus Volunteer Fire Department out of Montana has sent engines and personnel to help fight the Silver Spoon Fire. (Photo by Alex Schoenbeck via Broadus Volunteer Fire Department) 
The Silver Spoon Fire burning in northeast Wyoming, as seen from the entrance to the Silver Spoon Ranch. (Photo by Savannah Graham) 
A helicopter picks up water to drop on the Silver Spoon Fire in northern Campell County, Wyoming, near the Montana border. (Courtesy Heidi Garcia) 
Smoke rises from the Silver Spoon Fire in northern Campell County, Wyoming, near the Montana border. (Courtesy Heidi Garcia) 
Delcy Bayles shared photos and a report from her ranch near where the Silver Spoon Fire is burning in northeast Wyoming. (Courtesy Delcy Bayles via Facebook)
Ranchers Scramble
In the meantime, area ranchers and residents have been out all day Sunday and Monday working to protect their land and animals.
"As far as the cattle, they just opened gates, cut fence and prayed that the old girls knew where to go," Savannah Graham, whose husband's family leases land in the path of the fire, told Cowboy State Daily in an email. "So far, they are scattered from hell to breakfast, with some crossing the flame last night to get to safety. We will know more this week about the damage and cattle recovery."
“Not sure of the acreage, but we ended up within about a quarter mile of the state line,” reports the Broadus Volunteer Fire Department out of Montana, which sent engines and personnel to help battle the fire.
It’s burning in “some pretty rough country,” the agency reports.
Delcy Bayles went to Facebook to describe the first hours of the fire and her family’s scramble to keep their cattle safe.
She also expressed gratitude for the work of local firefighters and neighbors.
“Thank you everyone for your prayers, the firefighters/ranchers who came quickly and worked quickly, and the women who pitched in to get crews fed,” she posted. “Keep praying for moisture!”
A fire burns near a coal silo Sunday night, Sept. 1, 2024, at the Rawhide mine north of Gillette. (Courtesy Starla Paschell via Facebook) 
A fire burns near a coal silo Sunday night, Sept. 1, 2024, at the Rawhide mine north of Gillette. (Courtesy Starla Paschell via Facebook)
Coal Silo Also On Fire
Along with the Silver Spoon Fire, Campbell County crews were busy Monday fighting another fire closer to Gillette.
A coal silo at the Rawhide mine about 12 miles north of Gillette caught fire, and also ignited a small wildfire in the surrounding grasslands.
The CCFD spent part of Monday helping the mine’s own firefighting crews battling fire, which grew to an estimated 109 acres before getting it out, Fox said.
The fire is still burning in the silo, control of which has been turned back over to the coal mine, he said.
A Monday call to the mine for an update was not returned by publication time.
Other Fires
• In western Wyoming, the Fish Creek Fire continues to burn in heavy timber in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. It also is growing slowly as crews make more progress on getting 100% control of it, the Wyoming State Division of Forestry reports. By Monday evening, it had grown about 2,500 acres during the day from about 13,000 to 15,506 acres. But it also is a reported 54% complete in getting containment, up from 49% going into the day.
• The House Draw Fire in Johnson County remains at just under 175,000 acres and 94% contained as of Monday, WSFD reports.
• The largest of Campbell County’s wildfires, the Flat Rock Fire west of Gillette that was discovered Aug. 21, is an estimated 52,421 acres and 78% contained.
• The second largest is the Constitution Fire north of Gillette and near the Rawhide mine and Dry Fork Station power plant. It's 95% contained and an estimated 24,630 acres, WSFD reports.
• And the largest wildfire in the region, the Remington Fire, has burned a little more than 196,000 acres in northern Wyoming and Montana. About 30,000 of those acres is in Wyoming. It’s now 86% contained, up from 81%, according to WSFD.
Contact Greg Johnson at greg@cowboystatedaily.com
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
