Progress made on House Draw fire; other Wyoming blazes still not contained

CASPER — Wyoming firefighters have made significant progress on a nearly 175,000 acre wildfire southeast of Buffalo, but fires still rage across eastern Wyoming.

Fires broke out last week near Gillette following suspected lightning strikes and the wildfires rapidly grew in size causing Interstate 90 between Gillette and Buffalo to close for some time.

The nearly 175,000-acre House Draw fire is reported to be at 88% containment as of Monday morning.

The Flat Rock fire, west of Gillette, has burned roughly 52,599 acres and is at 35% containment while the Constitution fire, north of Gillette, has burned roughly 24,594 acres and is at 28%

containment, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center.

The Remington Fire, near the border with Montana, is at 0% containment and has exploded in size. The fire burned more than  30,000 acres in Wyoming and has pushed into Montana, burning nearly 200,000 acres in total.

The Fish Creek Fire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest has burned over 11,000 acres of land and is at 23% containment.

Wyoming is experiencing an average number of wildfires but an above average amount of acres burned, according to a press release from the Gov. Mark Gordon’s office.

“Wyoming has had 522 wildfires that have burned approximately 327,700 acres. Unique to this fire season is the fact that the majority of the wildfires have burned on private rather than federal lands,” the press release states.

Gordon on Friday issued a statement that he has marshaled all available resources to fight fires this summer — focusing on preservation of life, property and containment.

Fire resources provided include a Wyoming State Forestry helicopter and helitack firefighters, two Single Engine Air Tankers, Wyoming Smokebusters and numerous state staff who are providing operational and administrative support.

“Confronting fires of this size and battling against Mother Nature’s forces takes significant dedication from those on the frontlines. Thank you to all who are fighting these fires – both volunteer and full-time firefighters – you are protecting our livelihoods, homes, and landscapes,” Gordon said in a statement.

This story was published on August 27, 2024.