Update 7 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect the size of the fire is an estimated 20,000 acres.
What was a small wildfire reported about 14 miles east of Thermopolis on Wednesday evening has exploded to an estimated more than 20,000 acres Thursday.
What’s been named the Red Canyon Fire also has prompted evacuations of homes in the rural area, the Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Office reports.
The fire is burning in the Red Hole, Kirby Creek and Buffalo Creek areas, which are included in the evacuation, the sheriff’s office reports.
“The evacuation is only for those areas as of right now,” according to the notice. “Please do not call 911 or the non-emergency number regarding this fire unless you are in the affected area and need immediate help.”
The road closures include Black Mountain Road just west of Kirby Creek Road, and the homes west of Kirby Creek on Black Mountain are not yet under an evacuation order.
‘Very Active’
While the smoke plume from the fire is visible in Thermopolis, the town isn’t threatened, said James Coates, a 14-year veteran of the Thermopolis Volunteer Fire Department, which has been fighting the fire since about 6 p.m. Wednesday.
“It’s a very active fire,” he said about the explosive growth happening in what he described as a rugged area of the county. “The fire’s still many miles from town, but there are still some areas of town that are affected.”
He said there is some access for fire crews and equipment, but there are plenty of areas that will be difficult to access.
“There are good roads into it, but it’s a really rugged area, and there’s just a perfect storm of fire weather,” he said.
Coates said that now in mid-August, potential wildfire fuels are extremely dry and don’t take much to touch off.
It’s a tinderbox out there, he said, adding that dry and hot is “definitely the way the weather is right now.”
Type 3 Team Called In
Thermopolis Councilwoman Rachel Hughes said the overall mood of the town is about normal, that nobody’s really concerned the fire can reach that far.
That said, people definitely know it’s there.
“You can see smoke throughout the hills out there,” she said. “And this morning, when I woke up, there was smoke all around.”
A Type 3 BLM wildfire management team has been called in to take charge of the fire, which will include mustering more on-the-ground firefighters and coordinating air attacks.
Messages to the Type 3 team were not responded to by the time this story was published. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
