Crews fighting the huge Red Canyon Fire, along with a pair of other stubborn wildfires burning in northern Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin, are reporting significant progress as a cold front moves into the region.
The Red Canyon Fire continues to burn about 11 miles east of Thermopolis, but the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 2 (RMCIMT2), which is in charge of the fire, reports Friday that containment of the blaze has jumped from 31% to 48%.
It also has adjusted the estimated acres burned from nearly 127,000 to 124,701 acres.
That progress is evident in the latest map of the fire, which shows the entire western side of the fire contained, along with much of its area to the south and north. The most volatile and unsecured area is to the east.
What that means is that the 566 personnel working around much of the Red Canyon Fire are securing fire lines and making plans to rehabilitate the land that’s burned, said Jason Rodriguez, operations section chief for the RMCIMT2.
To the northwest, for example, “the line looks really good,” he said in a Friday morning briefing. “And what I mean by that is that they mopped up a good 20-50 feet into the line and we don’t have any threats to the line.”
Crews also are doing “mop-up in … areas as needed.”
Still Active
The interior of the Red Canyon Fire continues to be dangerous, he pointed out. There are still unsecured lines and buildings there.
“We’ve started assessing some of the structures in there, and we also have people on the ground looking at where these dozer lines are,” Rodriguez said.
Overall, firefighters also are working to make sure there are no flare-ups or surprises.
“Across the fire, crews will continue to patrol, mop up and seek out remaining hotspots using a drone,” according to the RMCIMT2’s Friday status report. That “will also help fire managers to identify head in green islands located on the fire’s north end.”
While there is significant progress, the Red Canyon Fire remains very active, the team reports.
“The previous several days … active fire pushed toward and down Pack Saddle Road,” the report says. “Crews used defensive firing to hold the fire inside the current perimeter, and two spots across the road were contained.”
Other Fires
Other fires in the Bighorn Basin also have turned the corner toward being contained, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
• The Spring Creek Fire located about 10 miles southeast of Ten Sleep hasn’t grown in days and remains at about 3,600 acres. It’s at 57% containment as of Friday morning with 161 personnel working on it.
• The Sleeper Ranch Fire northeast of Meeteetse also hasn’t changed in size at about 20,700 acres, and is reporting 90% containment.
• A smaller fire south of Meeteetse, called the Bull Lake Fire, is about 525 acres and 85% contained.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
