Wyoming wildfires slow Friday as managers brace for worsening conditions

Authorities on Friday lifted evacuation orders tied to the House Draw Fire, as scores of additional firefighters descended on Johnson County to battle one of the largest Wyoming wildfires in recent years.

The fire exploded in size Thursday after igniting a day earlier east of Buffalo, running north across Interstate 90 and south to an area between Kaycee and Sussex. But there was little growth overnight Thursday into Friday, with another roughly 1,000 acres burned on the northern end and between 300 to 500 acres on the southern edge, explained Johnson County Fire Public Information Officer Marilyn Connolly.

As of Friday afternoon, the fire had reached 165,000 acres — about the same size as the cities of Denver and Salt Lake City combined — with no containment.

Despite the fire’s size, no deaths or injuries have been reported. Nor have any homes been destroyed, though some outbuildings, fences and other infrastructure have burned.

Firefighter ranks have swelled in response to the blaze, from 70 on Thursday to 190 a day later. A new team is set to arrive on Saturday, bringing an additional 100 to 150 personnel.

“They are just going to continue fighting fire,” Connolly told WyoFile. “There is still active fire out there.”

On Friday, Johnson County commissioners signed an emergency declaration that will bring with it more resources to aid in the effort.

The massive fire temporarily closed a stretch of Interstate 90 between Buffalo and Gillette, along with a series of local roads. The interstate reopened late Thursday afternoon, while the county roads that were impacted have reopened to local traffic only, Connolly said.

Weather outlook

While House Draw’s growth has slowed, Saturday is forecast to bring with it hot, dry and windy conditions that can produce extreme fire behavior. The National Weather Service’s Riverton office issued a red flag warning for Johnson County, as well as several others that are grappling with large wildfires — Campbell, Sheridan, Fremont and Teton among them.

Crews in neighboring Campbell County were fighting two large fires on Friday. The Flat Rock Fire just northwest of Gillette has grown to 45,000 acres, though it’s now 30% contained, according to Gov. Mark Gordon’s office and the Campbell County Fire Department . It has damaged some structures and threatened others. The Constitution Fire, meanwhile, is burning farther north of the city, and has so far consumed 20,000 acres.

Farther to the north, firefighters were contending with the Remington Fire, which has consumed 30,000 acres in Wyoming and 185,000 acres in Montana. The fire was active overnight Thursday and has pushed into southern Montana, according to the Tongue River Fire District .

Highway opens, then closes again

In northwest Wyoming, the Fish Creek Fire has been burning since Aug. 16, when it was sparked by lightning about seven miles from Togwotee Pass. The nearly 10,000-acre blaze has produced large plumes of smoke, and on Thursday, authorities temporarily closed nearby U.S. Highway 26/287.

The highway reopened Friday morning, but closed again the same afternoon to allow for firefighting efforts along the roadway. It is set to reopen again Saturday morning, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Evacuation notices requiring residents of the Brooks Lake, Pinnacle Drive and Breccia Drive areas to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice remained in effect Friday.

Cooler, moister temperatures were forecast in the area Friday, but weather conditions were expected to get worse over the weekend, and fire managers were bracing for the blaze to grow, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

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