Fire danger reaches ‘very high’
Photo courtesy of Chris Kenney On July 8, the Weston County Fire Protection District, Wyoming State Forestry Division and Bureau of Land Management resources responded to a timber fire between Plum Creek and Big Plum Creek Road, according to information provided by Weston County Fire Warden Daniel Tysdal. The fire came to be known as the Plum Creek Fire. The Plum Creek Fire burned through extremely rough terrain, burning a total of 26.06 acres. At the peak of the incident more 60 personnel worked the fire line and provided logistical support. With the help of the Wyoming state smoke busters, a Michigan Interagency Type 2 IA Crew and U.S. Fish and Wildlife engine crew, the fire was in monitoring stages on July 13, according to Weston County Fire Warden Daniel Tysdal.
Since Weston County’s first fire was sparked on June 27, fire activity has increased across the county, according to Daniel Tysdal, Weston County Fire Warden.
“The last couple of weeks we have experienced a significant increase in wildland fire activity in and around Weston County,” Tysdal told the News Letter Journal in an email. “Since the end of June, we have responded to 12 incidents, but a couple of these have been extended attack fires that took multiple days on scene.”
To date, he said, a total of 288 acres have burned in those incidents. Tysdal noted that most of those fires have been within Weston County borders, but local agencies have assisted Niobrara County with a fire along the Cheyenne River just south of the county line, as well as the Black Hills National Forest with a fire just northeast of Dewey in South Dakota.
“Our fire danger has skyrocketed to ‘very high’ with the hot temperatures, low humidities and windy conditions we’ve recently been experiencing,” Tysdal said.
As the fire danger has increased, so have the drought conditions in Weston County, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
As of July 9, 100% of the county is listed as being in D0 drought, or abnormally dry.
Of that, 99.96% is listed as being in D1 drought or moderate drought, and 24.52% is listed as being in D2 drought, or severe drought. This is up significantly from the July 2 report that showed 70.71% of the county in D1 drought and 0% in D2 drought.
D1 drought is described as having low hay and forage yield, elevated fire danger and fewer wildflower blooms. Traits of a severe drought include poor pasture conditions, stressed trees and vegetation and low water pressure and levels.
With an increase in fires, Weston County has had to use other agencies to help battle the blazes and supplement the volunteer efforts.
“Our Weston County volunteer firefighters and interagency cooperators including Wyoming State Forestry Division, Black Hills National Forest, Thunder Basin National Grassland and BLM resources have worked tirelessly in very challenging weather conditions and terrain to battle the recent fires,” Tysdal said.
He noted that local agencies have also had to supplement local resources with outside help on some of the fires.
“For example, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife engine crew, a Michigan Interagency 20-person Type 2 IA crew as well as the Wyoming State Smokebusters and multiple aircraft have provided support to local agency resources. We also have a number of logistical support volunteers that work tirelessly behind the scenes to provide support and meals for all our firefighters on the ground. During the peak of the Plum Creek Fire, over 60 personnel worked the fire line and provided logistical support,” Tysdal said.
“It definitely takes everybody working together to be successful,” Tysdal said, reminding the public to be extremely careful with any outdoor activity that could start a fire and to report any fires by calling 911 immediately.