The Red Canyon Fire had already burned up thousands of acres of rangeland when it reached the Philp family on Bridger Creek and their property in Hot Springs County, Wyoming.
Realizing that their animals were in danger, father and son, Rob and Shawn Philp, got permission from incident command to move their cattle and sheep to safety.
Both are trained firefighters and able to keep their wits about them as they raced to their animals on four-wheelers and started moving them through the smoke.
“There were little fires burning around them as they were bringing them down,” Gloria Philp said. “Some of the slurry bombers were dropping slurry around them and there was a helicopter dipping water out of the pond at Bloomquist Summer camp and going up there and dropping water.”
It was these firefighters that the family wanted to thank the best way they knew how: with a feast.
However, at the beginning, their entire attention was focused on getting their livestock to safety.
The Red Canyon Fire was started by lightning Aug. 13, and within a few days had exploded to tens of thousands of acres before firefighting crews turned the corner on it. The fire is now about 90% contained and has been held at 125,000 acres.
Gloria Philp and her family know that ranch life is about community and helping each other. They are grateful for their neighbors who helped them move their animals and to the firefighters who saved their pastures. They showed their thanks the best way they know how — by feeding them. (Courtesy Gloria Philp) 
Gloria and Rob Philp were taken by surprise when the Red Canyon Fire ate up thousands of acres of land and came to their ranch along Bridger Creek. They were grateful for the air support and wildland firefighters that saved their cattle and much of their pasture. (Courtesy Gloria Philp) 
Just as the Pike Hot Shot crew finished eating the homemade feast provided by local ranch families, the Red Canyon Fire flared up and the firefighters rushed off to fight the new flames. The Phelp family were grateful that they were able to say thank you to their heroes with the feast. (Courtesy Gloria Philp)
Pushing Cattle Through Smoke
Fire was on both sides of Rob and Shawn's path to safety as smoke swirled around them and their cattle, a mixture of their own and their neighbors.
“That was a pretty harrowing experience,” Gloria’s niece Aley Philp told Cowboy State Daily. “Shawn said that they were just pushing the cows down this canyon to get them out.”
Unfortunately, a couple of the cows refused to be trailed out and the men were forced to leave them behind.
The family was also able to evacuate their sheep and hauled the majority out before the fire hit their area. However, again, a few stubborn bucks would not cooperate and had to be left behind.
When the family got back to their ranch 36 hours later, they found that the wildland firefighters had saved all their structures, half their sheep pasture, and a historic corral that had been in the family for several generations.
To their surprise, and relief, the Philps discovered that all the cattle and sheep had survived. They were all peacefully munching the grass that had been saved thanks to the efforts of the wildland firefighters stationed in the area.
“By some miracle, they lived through the fire,” Aley said. “We think the cattle might have bedded down in the creek itself and saved themselves.”
The local wildlife had also escaped the flames. The ranchers have not found any dead bodies of any creature caught up in the inferno that was the Red Canyon Fire.
“The fire burned half the Buck pasture,” Gloria said. “And the sheep are just happy and healthy on the other half of the pasture that didn’t burn.”
In The Path Of Fire
When the lightning struck and started the fire Aug. 13, it was business as usual on the Philp ranch on Bridger Creek as it had been for the past 120 years. The fire was miles away and they were only concerned for their distant neighbors.
“We heard about it the first day when it started at Thermopolis, but at that time we didn't ever think it would get to us,” Gloria said. “So, we didn't really do anything. We just checked out our land and made sure things were safe.”
It only took a few days before the fire started roaring towards their ranch, eating up the miles of rangeland in-between.
“It was covering ground so fast,” Gloria said. “My husband Rob took a road grader up and then started on top of where our land starts.”
From his ancient road grader, Rob watched the helicopters attack the fire at the neighboring Hayes place. He was hopeful that they would be able to stop the fire there.
“It didn't cross that line at first, but it came on each side of it from that rough part on either side of the mountain and of course, burned both sides of it eventually,” Gloria said. “Neighbors were all helping neighbors, and other ranchers like Garrett Herbst gathered our yearlings out of the threatened pasture and took them below to our summer camp.”
Herbst and others showed up with a horse trailer, and went around, loading up horses and helping wherever they could.
The fire crews staged up the creek above the family and stayed on for three days, fighting the fire back from the homes of the ranches along Bridger Creek.
The Red Canyon Fire is burning out of control about 11 miles east of Thermopolis, blowing up to an estimated 35,000 acres. Oil field workers saw the lightning bolt that started the fire, then could only watch it spread. (Photo by Shailee Harvey) 
Gloria Philp said her family was fortunate to only lose part of a pasture but their leased land and her neighbors’ pastures were scorched. The winter feed they were dependent on for their cattle and sheep had been burned in the Red Canyon Fire. (Courtesy Gloria Philps) 
Crews from the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Redwood Fire unit work the lines of the Red Canyon Fire. (Redwood Fire, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Worked Up An Appetite
The Philps know from experience that hard work gives a person a big appetite and the firefighters would be starving for calories.
They quickly realized that it would be a long way back to Thermopolis for the firefighters to get food in between shift changes. The women couldn’t let their heroes go hungry so they banded together and spent the next three days preparing a feast for the men saving their ranch.
“We estimate we fed 50 to 70 people each night,” Aley said. “It was just really good to thank them for doing what they do and keeping us safe.”
The crews did have food flown in and Gloria was quick to say that they were not starving. Logistically, the food wasn’t always easy to bring in and meal times could be few and far between.
“They appreciated it because only once, while we were there, did they have food come in,” Gloria said. “That is because they have to have a safe place to bring it.”
The spread — prepared by Liz Philp, Diana Dick Currah, Gloria Philp, Janet Zupan Philp and Aley Philp— was a home-cooked meal with a different menu each night. The menu ranged from roast beef and ham with all the fixings on the first night to steak on the second.
“It's called Miner's Delight,” Gloria said. “I said we should rename it Fireman's Delight.”
The last night was fried chicken, potatoes, macaroni, biscuits and lots of cookies.
The advantage of the food was also apparent when, on the third day, the Pike Hot Shot crew had barely finished eating when the fire flared up and they were able to rush back, refueled by the meal.
“They were only about a half hour away from the line, and so they were able to eat and go back out,” Aley said.
The firemen were not sent out empty handed. Aley’s mom, Janet, made up her special recipe, a favorite of all school children in the town of Shoshoni.
“We all know the power of the Shoshone School peanut butter Rice Krispies bars,” Aley said. “My mom made about seven dozen of those.”
They were individually wrapped and the firemen were able to stick in their pocket for a quick break in between fighting the fire.
The hot shot crew has since moved on to continue fighting the Red Canyon Fire in other areas now in immediate danger. The Philps are grateful that they were able to repay them, in small part, for saving their pastures and structures.
“There is something special about a home cooked meal cooked with love and intention to keep them going and keep up the fight,” Aley said.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
