‘This Is Genuinely Serious’: Race On To Contain Wildfire That Closed Devils Tower

Devils Tower National Monument continues to be closed as a wildfire burning just southwest of the monument’s boundary has so far consumed an estimated 282 acres without containment.

The Left Creek Fire, discovered at about 10:40 a.m. Saturday, has grown quickly in hot and dry conditions in northeast Wyoming, with temperatures hitting 99 degrees Saturday, the National Weather Service reports.

Meanwhile, the fire and Devils Tower closure have put a kink into the vacation plans of weekend visitors and bikers starting to make their way to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

“Some travel moments write themselves, and some are actively on fire,” posted John and Jenny of the “No Rules Just Roam” travel platform. “The whole scene looking like something out of a movie.”

“We are staying near Devils Tower National Monument and found out at the entrance that a Level 3 wildfire had closed he entire monument and evacuated everyone, including the staff, due to imminent danger,” the couple reported. “This is genuinely serious and we hope everyone got out safely.”

While reporting updates on the fire, they also posted a video of a camper walking through the campground with Devils Tower and smoke from the fire rising eerily in the background.

“Scrolling — Not the news. Not the fire updates,” John and Jenny posted, adding the woman was watching “reels” like nothing was happening.

“I looked at the fire. I looked at her. I looked at the fire again,” the report continues. “She did not look up.”

150 Firefighters

Meanwhile, wildfire resources have quickly been marshalled to battle the fire, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reports.

The fire is an estimated 282 acres as of the agency’s last report at about 11 p.m. Saturday, with no estimate as to containment.

While the fire has grown to nearly 300 acres in about 12 hours, “progress has been made,” Crook County Emergency Management reports. So far, “150 firefighters are currently on this fire, along with four large air tankers, two SEATs (single-engine air tankers), and four helicopters.”

Local residents and agencies also have responded to assist.

Devils Tower is expected to remain closed “at least until” Sunday, the agency continued. “Everyone should stay away from the national park and don’t drive in, because they are watching and will ticket anyone violating the closure.”

That closure will keep visitors like Bryan Abernathy away, who is part of a crew of bikers making a pilgrimage to the Sturgis rally.

“Whole crew rolled to Devils Tower today,” he posted Saturday to his Sturgis SD 2026 diary on Facebook. “The actual park was closed due to a forest fire. Got to see airplanes and helicopters dropping water.”

This isn’t the first time America’s first national monument has been closed because of a wildfire.

In May 2013, it was closed when what was supposed to be a 300-acre prescribed burn got out of control in high winds and ignited a spot fire in about the same area as the Left Creek Fire, according to the National Park Service.

That fire also burned some power lines that left a couple dozen homesteads in the area without electricity.

Meanwhile, Another Fire

The Left Creek Fire isn’t the only serious wildfire being fought in northern Wyoming.

Two counties to the east, a Wyoming Type 3 incident management team has been called in to help fight a fire in the Clearmont area of Sheridan County, which has exploded to about 7,200 acres since it was started by lightning on Friday, according to the Type 3 team.

“A lightning storm moved across the region starting multiple fires north of Clearmont, Wyoming, in Sheridan County,” according to a report from the Type 3 team and it’s commander, Jon Warder.

“Weather and fuel conditions led to the fire quickly growing in size,” the report says. “While structures were threatened, none have been lost so far.”

The NIFC reports the Lumin Fire is about 5% contained, and that terrain and fuels are making the wildfire difficult to fight.

Weather conditions for Sunday in northern Wyoming call for temperatures in the upper 90s.

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