Crews fight back wildfires

CASPER (WNE) — Multiple agencies, including the Casper Fire Department, responded to a fast moving wildland fire Wednesday, and Homa Hills and Barr Nunn residents were advised to prepare to evacuate. 

“Multiple resources” responded to an area west of I-25 and Bar Nunn, and north and east of the Casper/ Natrona County International Airport. The fire was discovered just before 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, and spread to 75 acres before being brought under control, according to National Interagency Fire Center data. 

At 8:30 p.m., the Natrona County Emergency Management Service downgraded the warning for Homa Hills residents, warning that while the “set” phase is canceled, to “please remain in “ready” for the time being. 

Just 15 minutes earlier, the county had warned residents to “get set” to evacuate. 

The situation is shifting as “weather and wind direction continue to change,” the county posted to Facebook. 

“Please remain vigilant, and always have your home and family prepared to evacuate,” Natrona County Emergency Management said in the post. 

Just before 8 p.m., the National Weather Service reported winds at 14 mph with gusts to 24 mph at the airport. According to Natrona County Emergency Management, should an evacuation have been ordered, deputies would have gone door to door and the county would have notified residents through an emergency alert to phones. 

The fire center has labeled the cause of the fire as undetermined. 

A separate 44-acre fire west of Casper near Poison Creek was also discovered on Wednesday. The origin of the Poison Creek Fire is also labeled as natural.

This story was published on September 13, 2024.