Fires Continue To Grow In Wyoming – Update
Update
July 3, 2012, 8:00 p.m., Location: Medicine Bow National Forest, Albany County, Wyoming, Date of Fire Start: June 30, 2012 1:00 p.m., Cause: Under Investigation Size: 9,085 acres (reduced from previous report due to more accurate mapping). Containment: 12 percent Management: California Interagency Incident Management Team 4, Rocky Opliger, Incident Commander
Cooperating Agencies: Albany County Rural Fire District #1, Wyoming State Forestry Services, Albany County Sheriff’s Department, Laramie Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, American Cross
Fire Status: Fire crews constructed fireline along the southern flank of the fire today, reaching containment on this part of the fire. The fire burned actively throughout the day as expected, with significant movement to the north on Sheep Mountain, and to the east down the eastern flank of Sheep Mountain. Today’s observed fire behavior included extreme fire behavior with fire burning aggressively uphill and at the toe of the slopein light fuels along the eastern perimeter. This increased fire behavior was partially due to Red Flag weather conditions, including strong winds.
Additional resources, including aircraft and hand crews, arrived at the fire today. The addition of aircraft assisted firefighters on the ground with making progress today.
Resources: Total Personnel: 296
Hand Crews: 7 Engines: 11 Dozers: 1 Water Tenders: 1 Helicopters: 2
Structures Destroyed: Three outbuildings and one residence have been destroyed by the Squirrel Creek Fire.
Evacuation and Closure Update: An evacuation center has been established at the Albany County Fairgrounds. For evacuation and road closure information please go to the Albany County, Wyoming website: http://www.co.albany.wy.us/ Call 1-888-425-7138 for Road Closure information only.
Livestock Evacuations: Contact: Dale Bratton-Wyoming Livestock Board (307) 777-6437
Further information may be obtained by going to http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2970/ or by calling: (307) 721-4445 between 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Fed by bone-dry timber and fanned by hot winds, the four major wildfires burning in Wyoming have swallowed up tens of thousands of acres and forced hundreds to flee while cutting a destructive path across the state.
The largest, the Arapaho Fire burning near Laramie Peak southwest of Wheatland, had burned nearly 88,000 acres. The fire has burned an unknown number of structures and is 10 percent contained.
State Forester Bill Crapser say 300 structures had been evacuated.
The Oil Creek Fire, burning northwest of Newcastle in Weston County, blew up from 6,000 acres to about 20,000 acres Monday into Tuesday, leading to the evacuation of more than 400 people.
Three-hundred people have been forced out by the 7,000-acre Squirrel Creek Fire, south of Laramie, and the Fontenelle Fire has burned 56,000 acres across Sublette and Lincoln counties.