Fire Official: Conditions ”Unbelievably Dangerous”

It may be April 1, but a Cheyenne fire official says the current fire conditions are no joke.

Byron Matthews is Fire Prevention Chief with Cheyenne Fire&Rescue. He says the recent unseasonably warm, dry weather along with the often windy conditions which are common in the area all add up to an "unbelievably dangerous" set of conditions.

While the height of the local fire season usually doesn't arrive until the Summer months, Cheyenne has already seen a sizable grass fire which threatened South and Triumph high schools last month.

March also ended with a "red flag'" (extreme) fire warning in effect for the Cheyenne area as well as much of central and eastern Wyoming.

Matthews is warning people who smoke outdoors to be extremely careful with matches, cigarette butt and similar materials. He also says anyone who is using fire or flammable materials in any way needs to do everything possible to prevent starting a blaze.

The area may get some relief on Thursday when, cooler, wet weather is forecast.