Cheyenne man charged with starting ‘Dusty Fire’

CHEYENNE (WNE) — A 62-year-old Cheyenne resident was arrested Wednesday on charges of starting a 6,800-acre grass fire in western Laramie County that damaged roughly 60 properties earlier this month.

Kenneth Burke was arrested in connection with sparking the March 1 fire by detectives from the Laramie County Sheriff ’s Office. An issued warrant for Burke’s arrest charged him with third-degree arson, according to a media post. A person is charged with third-degree arson “if he intentionally starts a fire… recklessly or (with) criminal negligence” under Wyoming statute.

No homes were damaged in the fire, according to Laramie County Fire Authority deputy chief Manny Muzquiz.

“(The damage varied) from just yard ... grass damage, fence damage, tree damage,” Muzquiz told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle earlier this month. “One house had the garage destroyed. I think another house had a deck destroyed that went right up against the house.”

The fire, dubbed “Dusty Fire,” was exacerbated by high winds, with gusts up to 40 miles per hour. First responders were strained, Muzquiz told the WTE, battling both the Dusty Fire and a fire that sparked south of Interstate 80 six days earlier.

Residents in homes between Happy Jack Road and Horse Creek Road were ordered to evacuate at the time of the fire.

“(We did) as best we could with the wind conditions,” Muzquiz told the WTE. “Those are just difficult because, if the wind’s blowing 30, 40 miles an hour, that means the fire’s traveling at least that, if not a little more. You can’t really take these big trucks through the field at that speed, especially in zero visibility, where there’s ravines and different terrain that we have to maneuver through.”

This story was published on March 15, 2024.