The Moonshine Fire burning through rugged mountain country southwest of Wheatland has exploded to an estimated 2,600 acres, remains completely uncontained and is directly threatening structures, fire officials told Cowboy State Daily late Wednesday afternoon.
The new size estimate marks another jump for the lightning-caused fire, which started Monday and is burning in the Laramie Range in Albany County, about 17 miles southwest of Wheatland.
The latest estimate is more than eight times the acreage the Wyoming State Forestry Division reported Wednesday morning.
Moonshine Fire Information, operating under the Wyoming Type 3 Incident Management Team that has taken over the fire, told Cowboy State Daily that containment remains at 0%.
Whether the fire has already claimed any structures remains unknown, officials said, adding that at least four have been identified as directly threatened.
Photos taken from the air show why firefighters face a difficult fight. Thick columns of white and gray smoke billow from folds in the mountains, obscuring portions of the landscape as the fire burns through timber tucked among steep, rocky ridges.
The terrain plunges through draws and rises abruptly into tree-covered slopes country fire officials describe simply as “difficult to access.”
About 150 personnel are assigned to the Moonshine Fire, with additional crews and aircraft brought in to support suppression efforts.
‘It Was Just Glowing’
Amy LeSatz estimates her home is about 14 miles east of the fire.
“Last night, it was just glowing pretty bright, and it's still very smoky today,” LeSatz told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
The first sign something was wrong came the night the fire started.
“I asked Steve (her husband) if he smelled smoke, and we got up and looked around,” LeSatz said. “We're always concerned about fires.”
They shut their windows that night.
“We usually have our windows open to avoid turning the air conditioner on, and we couldn't because it was so smoky,” she said.
She recalled watching the lightning storm Sunday night and telling her husband what she feared would follow.
“The way that looks, we're gonna have a fire,” she remembered saying. “We're of course in such a drought through here.”
Two days later, nearly 2,600 acres of the Laramie Range had burned.
LeSatz said she and her husband have not received a pre-evacuation notice and aren't preparing to leave at this point. A creek, farmland and other ground separate them from the fire, she said.
Her biggest worry is for the people closer to the flames.
“I'm worried about the neighbors and the firefighters, and you know the wind doesn't help at all,” LeSatz said. “It's got to be miserable for those guys up there between, you know, enough wind and it being so dry and so rugged up in that area. I’m most worried about the firefighters.”
Critical Fire Weather
Dry, breezy conditions are expected through the end of the week, with a Red Flag Warning in effect Wednesday and Thursday because of critical fire weather conditions and poor overnight moisture recovery, fire officials reported.
Thursday could bring southwest-to-west winds with gusts approaching 30 mph.
Some relief could arrive over the weekend as monsoonal moisture returns to the region and potentially moderates conditions into early next week.
The fire has also affected electrical service. Wheatland Rural Electric Association power was out until further notice Wednesday afternoon to protect firefighter safety, the incident team reported.
The latest estimate is up from the 1,982 acres reported by the Bureau of Land Management at 2:46 p.m. Wednesday. The fire was 0% contained in both updates.
Stage 1 fire restrictions were already in effect across the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest before the Moonshine Fire began, while a separate fire-specific area closure has now been established around the Moonshine Fire.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
