Creek Fire burned 1,470 acres; now under control

SUNDANCE (WNE) — A sizable fire northwest of Hulett had been fully contained by Monday morning, thanks to the combined efforts of local, state and federal firefighters.

Located northwest of Hulett, the Creek Fire was reported late in the afternoon of June 11 and is believed to have been caused by lightning, according to Incident Commander Karsten Milek.

The fire reached approximately 1470 acres on a mixture of private, state and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.

A command center was set up at the community center in Hulett and, by the end of the weekend, the response had grown considerably, said Milek.

“We fluctuated at around 100 personnel,” he said. Local first responders were the first to arrive, assisted by members of the community.

The response by that time included the Wyoming State Forestry Division Smoke Busters, the Black Hills National Forest North Zone and Bearlodge Ranger District and BLM, as well as Colorado State Forestry, State of South Dakota and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

By Sunday, the fire was estimated to be 50% contained. On Monday, Milek said, it was fully contained and firefighters were seeing “minimal fire behavior within control lines with very minimal threat.”

No injuries or damage to structures has been reported and no evacuations were necessary, said Milek.

This story was published on June 20, 2024.