New Major Wyoming Fire As Old One Dies

Wyoming's biggest fire, so far this year, is winding down. The Red Canyon Fire near Thermopolis is controlled enough that resources are being sent to newer fires that are heating up.

There are now 320 firefighters battling the Dollar Lake Fire north of Pinedale.

The total area at play has grown to 13,449 acres.

This one is different from the Red Canyon Fire in that the flames are rushing through heavy timber.

But like the Red Canyon Fire, the land is rough and even rocky in places. That makes it hard to cut fire lines.

This forest land is filled with dead material, including trees, which create fast and hot burning conditions.

There is good news coming as cool weather with some rain moves into the area.

That kind of weather is easy for the firefighters and hard on the fire.

Heavy smoke can be seen in the area as flames have been seen rushing over 100 feet above the tree line.

Gov. Mark Gordon to declare a state of emergency Monday over concerns of the communities below, like Pinedale.

Evacuation Warning: All residences on Moose Gypsum Road, Hill Road, Valley View Trail, Hecox Road, Pine Drive, Rock Creek Road, Brookie Lane, White Point Road, Rainbow Drive, Trout Drive, Cutthroat Drive, River Road, Cattle Drive Lane, Terrace Drive, and Half-way Drive; all residences off Galley Lane; and all residences along US Hwy 352 South to Richard Lane. Those in these areas should be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.

 

Crews have also been sent to tackle the new Bridger-Teton National Forest fire, which has grown substantially since it started Friday. The Willow Creek Fire has burned close to 3,820 acres south of Afton and west of Highway 89.

The Casper/Natrona County International Airport is enjoying its upgraded firefighting planes.

Nobody likes a summer fire, but it does keep the airport busy with interesting water bombers coming and going.

The airport has been posting photos and videos of these fantastic planes on its Facebook page.

For several years the two firefighting planes would arrive for fire season and park in a temporary area on the east corner of the airport.

They would run a long hose from a fire hydrant to a holding tank to refill the planes for another fire run.

Yes, the big boys have found a new home in central Wyoming.

While stationed in Casper, these serious firefighting machines have a long range and can fight across several states.

Before the new facilities she built at the fire season's end, they would pack up and go home.

Now, for some of these planes, Casper is home.

Now, they have a permanent base at the airport, and they no longer need to run a long hose to a fire hydrant.

After six years of planning, designing, and construction, the Airport grounds are now the home base for a new BLM Single Engine Air Tankers (SEAT) and Large Air Tankers (LAT) Base.

HOLD ON- what is a SEAT and LAT base?

It's a base that loads firefighting aircraft with anything they need, from water to chemicals, to fight fires. That's the simplest, nontechnical explanation there is.

Below is the new cover photo for the Casper/Natrona County Airport.

The facility was constructed in Collaboration with BLM, Wyoming State Forestry Division, and U.S. Forest Service.

It is the only base in the country jointly built by the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service.

Below is an exciting video of a firefighting plane from Casper in action.

Casper is also the exclusive home to two SEAT planes, contracted by the Wyoming State Forestry Division.

The modernized base now has the ability to load two planes (SEAT and/or LAT) at the same time with a maximum daily output of 80,000–90,000 gallons of mixed retardant compared to the previous 15,000-gallon output.

Future plans include the construction of a new heli-base adjacent to the SEAT/LAT base for the State Forestry Division.