Agencies Fight 2,500-acre Richards Fire South of Rock Springs

No evacuations are in place nor have any structures been lost in the four-square-mile Richards Fire about 40 miles south of Rock Springs, according to a prepared statement from the Casper office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday.

However, oil and gas infrastructure east of the fire along Clay Basin Road is an immediate concern, according to the statement.

About 2 p.m. Monday, wildland firefighters from the BLM Rock Springs Field Office, the BLM office in Utah and Sweetwater County, plus available air resources, responded to the Richards Fire.

They are engaging the fire where they have a high probability of success and risk to personnel is manageable.

As of Tuesday morning the fire has covered about 2,500 acres with zero percent containment.

It is burning in sage brush, grass and juniper, and moving in a northeast direction.

A Type 3 Incident Management Team has been ordered and should arrive on the scene on Tuesday, according to the prepared statement.

Red Flag weather conditions are expected to remain in place through Tuesday with more favorable weather moving into the area on Wednesday.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.