VIDEO: On Buffalo Creek Road, east of Thermopolis in Hot Springs County, the Red Canyon fire has passed through, leaving land scarred black as the blaze continues east toward the Fremont County line. The Red Canyon fire began Wednesday, August 13. On the following Monday the fire was nearing 100,000 acres and by Wednesday, August 20 has reached nearly 127,000 acres with only 28% containment according to Watch Duty reports. Evacuations are in effect for the Buffalo Creek Road, Kirby Creek Road, and Nowood Road areas.
The Wyoming State Forestry division reports that 529 personnel are fighting challenging fire behavior due to increasing heat, dry conditions, and erratic winds. On Monday, August 18, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency to coordinate state and federal resources for response and recovery operations for the Red Canyon, Spring Creek, Mary’s Creek, and Sleeper Ranch fires. This order mobilizes the Wyoming National Guard to aid firefighting efforts.
And as the fire continues to grow and crews continue to combat it, land owners in the area are encouraged to coordinate with fire managers to help keep the community and property safe. The Wallingford Ranch is among those that have been devastated by the Red Canyon “They kept moving with the fire and made sure we were safe and everybody was safe. And, it’s it was. It was real scary,” said Doug Wallingford.
Doug and his son Shiloh Wallingford say that around 3 o’clock Saturday morning they saw flames come over the hill and along with it fire crews with air support and excavators fighting to creating a safe perimeter around their property. “It was pretty intense and scary. But I’m very, thankful for everybody that was able to help and thankful for the equipment that we had here and everything,” said Shiloh.
