An bird-eye view of the Wyo./Colo. wildfires just north of Laramie. PHOTO: Bob Sylar.
Cooler temperatures and calmer winds Wednesday helped quell a wildfire burning in a remote and mountainous area of the Medicine Bow National Forest in east-central Wyoming, giving firefighters time to reposition helicopters and other equipment before hot, dry conditions return this weekend.
The Russell’s Camp fire is located about 30 miles south of Glenrock and has burned about 4 square miles since Sunday.
It remained completely uncontained as of Wednesday afternoon.
But fire spokeswoman Laura McConnell said the eastern edge of the fire was relatively quiet after strong winds caused active burning the previous three days.
“It’s kind of light and breezy,” McConnell said. “It’s certainly not the sustained gusts and heavy winds that we’ve had the last several days.”
There are about 300 firefighters and six helicopters assigned to the fire — the cause of which remains undetermined.
“In talking with our safety officer and folks around base camp, it was pretty much a quiet day,” McConnell said.
McConnell said fire managers took advantage of the better conditions Wednesday to reposition the base for the helicopters.
“The helibase was getting moved closer to the fire so it’s a shorter turnaround time,” she said.
Hot, dry conditions that lead to more active fire behavior are expected to return by this weekend, McConnell said.
“Saturday and Sunday are looking as being two days of concern,” she said.
Elsewhere, a wildfire that began in Wyoming on Tuesday burned into northern Colorado, but firefighters have already managed 90 percent containment. The fire has burned about 550 acres of juniper and brush.
What ignited the fire is under investigation.
And Guernsey State Park, which was closed down by a 2,500-acre wildfire in southeast Wyoming last week, is now completely open, according to the state parks department. The park was partially reopened last weekend.
