Fire departments across northeast Wyoming had their busiest night of the fire season so far Wednesday, battling 11 lightning-sparked blazes that sent crews to a pair of fires near the town of Arvada.
"We had 20 different wildland apparatus fire trucks out last night and the staffing, so you're probably talking close to 40 to 50 personnel," Campbell County Fire Marshal Stuart Burnham told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.
The evening's activity began around 6:20 p.m. when lightning strikes ignited what officials believe were 11 wildfires across the area.
The fires were fought by a combination of duty crews, seasonal firefighters and part-time firefighters who were called in to assist.
Among the larger fires was the 30-acre Cedar Draw Fire in the northwest part of Campbell County, which was on Bureau of Land Management property. Command was transferred to BLM on Thursday, though Campbell County continues to provide additional resources to monitor the situation, said Burnham.
Local departments and the Bureau of Land Management responded in force to the Powder River Fire near Arvada. (Clearmont Fire Department) 
Local departments and the Bureau of Land Management responded in force to the Powder River Fire near Arvada. (Clearmont Fire Department) 
Local departments and the Bureau of Land Management responded in force to the Powder River Fire near Arvada. (Clearmont Fire Department) 
Local departments and the Bureau of Land Management responded in force to the Powder River Fire near Arvada. (Clearmont Fire Department)
Powder River Fire
The most significant blaze is the Powder River Fire near Arvada in Johnson County, which burned about 1,000 acres is 50% contained. This fire presented unique challenges as it developed into a complex, multi-front battle, firefighters report.
Clearmont Fire Chief Josh McKinley, whose department responded to assist with the Powder River Fire, described the challenging conditions his crews faced.
"Air attack was up, flying around, giving us updates on where it went because it kind of split, and we ended up having two heads on that fire," McKinley explained. The incident commander was forced to divide operations into separate divisions to tackle both fronts simultaneously.
McKinley took command of the east flank as Division Zulu, while another team worked the west flank designated as Alpha. The fire behavior intensified dramatically when weather conditions deteriorated.
"There was a front that moved through that night, and we had winds recorded at 30 mph, sustained probably around 10 to 20 minutes," he said. "It sparked everything up and carried some embers over and started some grass that was behind us. We had to retreat and get a hold of everything and re-attack."
The challenging conditions triggered crews to bring in a bulldozer to cut a fireline, allowing a back burn operation that burned the fire into itself.
This strategy helped secure the east flank enough that some crews could be released from the fire Tuesday night.
The evening's weather added another layer of complexity to operations. While rain that followed the lightning strikes helped suppress some fires, it also created logistical challenges.
"The BLM crews that were on the Powder River Fire were unable to get out of it because it was pretty muddy over there," McKinley noted. "They kind of got stuck in there with the rain. There's just dirt roads in and out of that area, and it makes it tough to get in and out if it's wet."
Dangerous Conditions
Despite the challenging night, Burnham said most crews were able to pull off the fires due to the rain, though teams were sent out Thursday to check on the status of various fires to determine if they were completely extinguished or needed additional attention.
The fire marshal emphasized the precarious nature of current conditions.
"We're in an interesting time right now. It's just dry enough to where the grass will start, but it's still just green enough to where it's not rapidly spreading," Burnham said. "However, with some sun on it and some wind, it doesn't take long for that vegetation to dry out, and then we could be in a critical fire state."
Officials are closely monitoring weather and vegetation conditions and are considering implementing fire restrictions next week, he said.
While no fire restrictions are currently in place in Campbell County, meaning fireworks are still allowed in the county, the city of Gillette prohibits fireworks within city limits.
Holiday Caution
Looking ahead to the holiday weekend, Crook County Fire Warden Charles Harrison provided a cautiously optimistic assessment.
"We are so far fortunate to have not had any starts," Harrison told Cowboy State Daily. However, he observed that area vegetation is "rapidly changing from that lush green to dry and brown."
The increased fire activity comes at a time when fuel loads are higher than typical years. McKinley in Clearmont noted that the Arvada area has "a lot of fuel and a lot of grass that's grown a lot more than a typical year" due to more moisture than normal earlier in the season.
"Just be safe, especially across the holiday," McKinley advised. "Just be cognizant of what you're doing and know that everything's drying out, and it will burn, and it burns fast."
The busy night represents a significant escalation in fire activity for the region, with officials anticipating that conditions may continue to deteriorate as vegetation dries out over the coming weeks.
While coal seam fires have not yet become an issue this season, Burnham noted that as vegetation continues to dry in Campbell County, "I would anticipate we may start to see some more activity from the coal seams."
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
