Dry weather increases fire danger

By Ike Fredregill
Laramie Boomerang
Via Wyoming News Exchange
 
LARAMIE — Wildfires consumed massive portions of the western United States in 2018, and though winter is coming, the danger of new fires remains, U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Aaron Voos said.
“There are a good number of fires across the West right now,” Voos said. “There are some fires in Utah and a few recently started in Colorado, so fire activity is up.”
As the afternoon showers of late July and early August become distant memory, high temperatures and low humidity contribute to the potential for new fires and fan the flames of those currently burning.
“Typically, this is a fire-prone time of year, because it’s very dry,” Voos said. “Fuel sources have had all summer to dry out.”
On Sept. 9, the Albany Countywide Alert system reported a red-flag warning for several areas throughout Wyoming, including most of Albany County. While the the warning expires today, Voos said weather conditions are still ripe for ignition.
The National Weather Service reported Wednesday several cities in southeastern Wyoming broke or came close to previous record high temperatures. In Laramie, the high was 84 degrees, one degree shy of matching the record 85 degrees set in 1958, according to the weather service.
“(The fire danger) has also been combined with the hot, dry, windy weather we’ve had last week and is predicted to last for some time,” he said. “The forest service and other land managers are on alert, and we make sure we to have enough staff on hand to respond to any starts.”
Voos said forest service crews are currently battling a blaze burning in the Routt National Forrest south of the Wyoming border.
“We’re a big administrative unit — we’re Medicine Bow (National Forest), Routt (National Forest) and Thunder Basin (National Grassland),” he explained. “So, our staff covers a large area.”
Efforts to contain this year’s fires have been exhaustive and available crews are starting to dwindle, he said.
“Because there are established fires elsewhere, we get spread a little thin,” Voos said. “Especially, because much of our workforce is seasonal and many have gone home.”
Cooler nighttime temperatures and shorter daylight hours, however, could mean a light at the end of the tunnel, Voos said.
“Quite frankly, I’m tired of fire season,” he said, explaining it began in June with the Badger Creek Fire. “But, we have a couple factors on our side. It could snow at any time. That puts a damper on fire, literally. We also have shorter burn periods, because the days are shorter, and the nights are longer.”
Consuming nearly 22,000 acres, the Badger Creek Fire was reported June 10 and caused the evacuation of hundreds of residents along Wyoming Highway 230 and Wyoming Highway 10.
Voos said the fire is 100 percent contained and area restrictions have been lifted, but the fire might not be fully extinguished until the snow flies.
“A good rainfall or snow can’t come soon enough,” he said.
With the summer break concluded, Albany County Emergency Management Coordinator Aimee Binning said less people are camping, but there is still potential for human-caused fires.
“We’ve got hunting season starting and people still recreating in the mountains,” Binning said. “If they do use fires, they need to make sure they are out, and by out, I do mean cold.”