Firefighters make progress on large wildfires in Campbell County

GILLETTE (WNE)  — Firefighters are making progress on the wildfires that have burned in northeast Wyoming the last several days.

Sunday morning, the Southwest Area Incident Management Team No. 5 took over management of the Flat Rock and Constitution fires, as well as the Remington Fire in Sheridan County and the House Draw Fire in Johnson County. The Campbell County Fire Department reported the Constitution Fire was estimated at 24,000 acres, while the Flat Rock Fire was estimated at 52,000 acres.

Brandon Glenn, who works in planning operations for Southwest Area Incident Management Team No. 5, said that with the Flat Rock Fire, which is west of Gillette, most of the heat is in the northern part of the fire, and firefighters have worked to secure the fire along Echeta Road and doing direct and indirect work on the southwest side of the fire, Glenn said.

The fire is nearing the county boundaries with Sheridan and Johnson counties. Glenn said this fire has “a lot of horsepower,” and that they’re really working to keep the fire from spreading farther north.

The Constitution Fire, north of town, is looking “really good” on the south and west sides, Glenn said, but the northeast part of the fire remains active. Crews did a burnout to bring the fire out to a dozer line, and the goal is “lock in” that northeast corner, Glenn said.

This story was published on August 25, 2024.