With 2 Wildfires Burning Near Ten Sleep, Town Becomes Ground Zero For Responders

Update 8 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect the latest size and containment estimates for the Vees Fire.

Wildland firefighting crews may get some help fighting a pair of wildfires burning southeast of Ten Sleep on Wednesday and Thursday when expected thunderstorms sweep through Washakie County.

Along with the danger of lightning sparking new fires, the cooler temperatures and rain will help the more than 200 firefighters battling the Tower 2 and Vees fires, which have been growing since being discovered Saturday, according to firefighting agencies.

The Tower 2 fire has burned about 220 acres 4.5 miles southeast of Ten Sleep, but is now 75% contained, the National Interagency Fire Center reports. It’s so far cost about $160,000 to fight.

In Ten Sleep, the folks there definitely know there are fires burning close by, but they don’t feel threatened, Mayor Ernie Buckley told Cowboy State Daily.

“Yeah, you can see smoke and we’re having all kinds of staging here at the fire hall,” he said earlier this week about the town becoming the go-to spot for firefighting command crews. “We’ve had enough wind that we’re not smoked in, but at night you can see the orange glow.’

To help accommodate crews, portable toilets were brought in from Powell to help alleviate stress on the small town’s facilities, the mayor said.

“It was a pretty busy morning at our only gas station as all those firefighters were filling up,” Buckley said.

The mayor added that being accessible and accommodating is the appropriate response for the folks in the town impacted by the residual effects of fighting the wildfires.

“We help with what we can,” he said. “I know one of the cafés down here was making breakfast and stuff for the firefighters.”

Vees Fire

The larger and more volatile incident in the area is the Vees Fire, which has so far burned nearly 5,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.

“Crews are working in challenging, steep and rugged terrain with difficult-to-access canyon areas,” reports the Wyoming Interagency Management Type 3 team in charge of the fire. “The fire is moving through fast-burning fuels as well as dead and downed materials.”

The Vees Fire is about 13 miles southeast of Ten Sleep and about 40% contained, the National Interagency Fire Center reports Wednesday. About 170 personnel are working on the fire, along with two bulldozers, two helicopters and numerous engines and hand crews.

So far, fighting the Vees Fire has cost an estimated $2 million, the fire center reports.

Believed to have been started by lightning and reported Saturday, the wildfire blew up Sunday and Monday, and has prompted an emergency closure of surrounding Bureau of Land Management roads, trails and lands.

The weather is expected to bring rain, the Type 3 team reports.

“The current forecast predicts rainy conditions tonight through tomorrow — sunny conditions early tomorrow may cause smoke in some areas, but afternoon rains are expected to continue over the fire area,” according to the report.

Barn Burns

While the Tower 2 and Vees fires are the only Wyoming wildfires on the radar of the National Interagency Fire Center, another notable fire blew up and was contained Monday in Natrona County.

What’s being called the Jarrad Incident sparked Monday at mile post 210 on Interstate 25 near Horse Ranch Creek Road, the Natrona County Fire District reports.

“Upon arrival, crews located a large, fast-moving grass fire that spread to a large barn,” the fire district reports. “Several smaller fires were also discovered by responders, but were kept small.

“Firefighters worked to contain the total (to) 41.3 acres, but sadly, the barn was destroyed.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but is believed to be vehicle-related, the fire district reports, adding that there were no injuries.

Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.