Saturday was one of those almost but not quite days for the Campbell County boys soccer team.
Top-ranked and consensus favorite to win the Class 4A state soccer tournament, the Camels fell just … More
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Bridger-Teton fire makes big run, more new fires
AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service
This Tuesday, June 26, 2012 photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service shows the Fontenelle Fire burning in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyo. U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Mary Cernicek said the Fontenelle Fire — the first major wildfire of the season in western Wyoming — grew from about 300 acres to 2,000 acres on Tuesday due to strong winds. There was no containment as of Wednesday despite the efforts of about 90 firefighters.
Posted 6/29/12
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A wildfire burning in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming has become the largest forest fire in the state this year, burning about 36 square miles of timber and choking nearby valleys with smoke.
The Fontenelle Fire in the Wyoming Range continued to expand Thursday in windy, dry weather after making a 3-mile run the day before.
An undetermined number of campers in the area were forced to flee, and about 170 square miles of the forest have been closed off, according to fire spokesman Brandon Hampton.
No injuries have been reported and no structures have been lost due to the fire, which was discovered Sunday, he said. There is no containment, and more firefighting resources have been requested, Hampton said.
"At this point, anything that's available — hand crews, fire engines, helicopters," he said. "Problem is, there's so many other fires burning that's it's hard to get your hands on any resources at this point."
The fire is burning in heavy and down timber, which poses safety issues for firefighters on the ground, Hampton said.
Elsewhere in Wyoming, new fires have been reported in Albany and Platte counties, joining ongoing fires in Converse, Park and Washakie counties.
Most of the fires are burning in areas with grass, brush and scattered timber, according to the Wyoming State Forestry Division.
The fire in Washakie County has burned about 4,000 acres, or roughly 6 square miles.
The Park County fire was only around 100 acres, but it was burning next to U.S. 212 near the Montana border. Fire spokeswoman Kristie Salzmann said the highway remained open but motorists were being cautioned not to stop on the highway.
That fire was believed to have been started Tuesday by a power line that was knocked down by a falling tree, Salzmann said.
A grass fire that burned about 25,000 acres in Sheridan and Johnson counties on Tuesday and Wednesday was mostly contained by Thursday afternoon.
And the situation continued to improve at the Russell's Camp fire in the Medicine Bow National Forest. The fire, which has burned about 8 square miles, was held in check for the second day Thursday, according to fire spokeswoman Laura McConnell.
McConnell said more firefighters and equipment were being released from the Russell's Camp fire and sent to other fires in the region.
