ROCK SPRINGS — It’s March and a busy fire season is already a concern for Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1 Chief Scott Kitchner.
“It’s looking like that throughout the western states,” Kitchner said.
Saturday’s fire at Scott’s Bottom in Green River wasn’t the only fire to have started in Wyoming last week. The Kane Fire, as of Tuesday, burned about 1,900 acres east of Lovell in Bighorn County. The Sandpiper Fire in Natrona County burned 6,287 acres and forced emergency evacuations.
High temperatures, low humidity, and winds led to a Red Flag Warning being issued in Wyoming last week. Red Flag Warnings are issued to federal land managers when conditions could cause prescribed burns to grow into wildland fires. The fire danger continues as the National Weather Service lists Sweetwater County as having an elevated fire risk.
Kitchner said without heavy moisture hitting the region in the next few months, firefighters expect a longer fire season. The forecasts he’s looked at don’t offer much hope.
“I don’t see any moisture at all, looking at the forecasts,” Kitchner said.
While residents are encouraged to be mindful of activities involving open flames or that can cast sparks, Kitchner said there are a few activities people don’t immediately think about when recreating. Kitchner said people shooting in the desert should be aware of any sparks ricochetting bullets could cause and said explosive targets can also start fires.
He also urges people to secure chains that may drag under a trailer they’re hauling, as sparks generated from loose chains may start a fire. Kitchner said keeping trailer tires inflated can also help prevent fires, as heated tire fragments from blowouts can start a grass fire. He said people should avoid driving vehicles in tall grass because mufflers are hot enough to ignite dry grass.
Kitchner said while there is concern about what the summer brings, Fire District No. 1 and other agencies are prepared for what the fire season will bring.
