A second wildfire in less than a week has scorched ranchland in northeast Wyoming, leaving local ranching families worried that an already active fire season is just getting started.
The Raven Creek Fire, caused by a downed power line Saturday, has so far burned 3,789 acres across a mix of private, state and federal land and drew a targeted response from Weston, Crook and Campbell counties, as well as the Bureau of Land Management and Wyoming State Forestry Division.
The blaze was started just days after the nearby Shipwheel Fire was started by lightning and burned 456 acres in the same corner of the county.
Burning through brush and grass about 13 miles southeast of Moorcroft, the Raven Creek Fire threatened homes and energy infrastructure, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reports. No structures have been reported lost.
As of Monday morning, the blaze was exhibiting “minimal fire behavior with smoldering,” the NIFC reports. There are 125 firefighters and support personnel working the fire, along with 25 engines and a helicopter.
The cost to fight so far is an estimated $500,000, according to the NIFC.
For Weston County Fire Warden Daniel Tysdal, the concern extends beyond the two fires themselves.
"We're experiencing late-summer fire weather conditions and fire behavior in the first part of June," Tysdal told Cowboy State Daily on Monday. "It's unprecedented fuel conditions right now."
Tysdal said wind-driven fires burning through drought-stressed fuels have created conditions firefighters do not typically expect this early in the season.
Firefighters work a glowing fireline at dusk during the Raven Creek Fire, one of two wildfires to strike the same corner of Weston County in less than a week. (Courtesy Angie Len Morfeld) 
Firefighters work a glowing fireline at dusk during the Raven Creek Fire, one of two wildfires to strike the same corner of Weston County in less than a week. (Courtesy Angie Len Morfeld) 
Firefighters work a glowing fireline at dusk during the Raven Creek Fire, one of two wildfires to strike the same corner of Weston County in less than a week. (Courtesy Angie Len Morfeld) 
Firefighters work a glowing fireline at dusk during the Raven Creek Fire, one of two wildfires to strike the same corner of Weston County in less than a week. (Courtesy Angie Len Morfeld)
Neighbors Come Together
"The first fire was earlier in the week,” said area rancher Angie Morfeld. "They had a lightning strike, I believe, earlier in the week, and lost about 500 acres."
While no livestock or structures have so far been lost in either fire, Morfeld said fencing was damaged and large amounts of grass were burned.
Tysdal said firefighters were forced into structure protection operations as the Raven Creek Fire approached buildings on its northern flank, though crews ultimately prevented any losses.
The fire has spread amid hot temperatures, wind and dry conditions.
Campbell County Fire Department warned Sunday that warm temperatures, strong winds and the potential for thunderstorms could create another active fire day across the region, even as crews continued suppressing existing fires and preparing for possible new starts.
For many ranching communities, the concern isn't just the acres burned over the weekend, but what the next several months might bring.
Morfeld said neighboring ranchers routinely come together when disaster strikes.
"All the ranchers that are neighboring ranchers, they all come together and help greatly," she said. "And then we have a lot of people in town, and when there's a call to action, they will donate to the fire departments and get supplies to them as needed."
Firefighters work a glowing fireline at dusk during the Raven Creek Fire, one of two wildfires to strike the same corner of Weston County in less than a week. (Courtesy Angie Len Morfeld) 
Firefighters work a glowing fireline at dusk during the Raven Creek Fire, one of two wildfires to strike the same corner of Weston County in less than a week. (Courtesy Angie Len Morfeld) 
The Raven Creek Fire burned nearly 3,900 acres in northeast Wyoming over the weekend. (Courtesy Weston County Fire Protection District) 
The Raven Creek Fire burned nearly 3,900 acres in northeast Wyoming over the weekend. (Courtesy Weston County Fire Protection District)
'Pray For Rain'
During the Raven Creek Fire, Morfeld said family members and volunteers delivered bottled water and assisted where they could while firefighters, heavy equipment operators and utility crews worked in difficult conditions.
She also urged people to remember the linemen restoring power in smoky, windy conditions.
"People get angry when they're out of power, but they forget about the guys on the ground doing the real work," she said.
"The volunteers just day in and day out show up every time there's a page," Tysdal added. "I don't think we could do it without our volunteer fire service."
As mop-up operations continue, Morfeld said her thoughts are with the ranchers who have already lost grass and face months of uncertainty.
"We need to pray for the rain," she said. "We need to pray for the ranchers that have been affected, that have lost a lot of grass, and I'm afraid it's going to be a long season for all of our ranchers in Wyoming."
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
