Firefighters near containment on Crook County fires

Font Size:
Default font size
Larger font size

MOORCROFT, Wyo. (AP) - Firefighters worked Monday to fully contain a group of fires that had burned more than 14,900 acres southwest of Devils Tower National Monument, and plans were being made to begin reassigning some firefighters and equipment to other fires in the region.

"They want to finish up the air show if they can today," fire information officer Joe Colwell said.

Colwell said fire officials hoped to begin reassigning aircraft to other fires in the region.

The fires, which were started by lightning last Wednesday, were 75 percent contained Monday morning. There were 714 personnel battling the fires.

On Monday, ground crews concentrated on building fire lines on the area of the fire not yet contained and starting mop-up work.

However, gusty winds and hot, dry weather were still a threat to cause problems, Colwell said.

"We're not out of the woods yet in Crook County, but it's looking better," he said.

Ten rural residences remained threatened by the fires, but no evacuations were in place.

All of U.S. 14, the main access route to Devils Tower off Interstate 90, was open to traffic after part of it was closed last week.

Elsewhere in Wyoming, a fire in the Wind River Range in western Wyoming was being allowed to burn for now despite flaring up over the weekend. The fire, about 25 miles north of Pinedale in Sublette County, has burned about 275 acres in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. It was started by lightning on July 2 but grew from 15 acres on Friday.

A grass fire in eastern Sheridan County burned about 21,000 acres 3 miles north of Leiter.

Print Email

/news/state-and-regional
 
Sponsored by:

Connect with Us

TribTown