Firefighters from local, state and federal agencies continue battling the flames on two wildfires burning in central and western Goshen County Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities say fire resources were dispatched at about the same time shortly after Noon on Tuesday to both the “East Rock” and “Pine Ridge” fires, which are both believed to have been started by natural causes.
The response for the East Rock fire initially came from Platte County, with fire units ultimately alerting the Torrington Dispatch Center that the blaze was actually inside Goshen County, which prompted a response by fire resources from the Jay ‘Em, Ft. Laramie and Veteran Fire Departments.
Around the same time, the Pine Ridge fire was reported to the east, in an area northwest of Lingle, with county fire resources called from Ft. Laramie, Lingle, Torrington, Yoder, Veteran and Prairie Center.
Type 3 fire teams are being assigned, including a 20-person hot-shot crew from California that has been released from a fire near Saratoga. In addition, air support from the Bureau of Land Management and Wyoming Forestry Department have been making air drops on both fires.
Lingle Volunteer Fire Chief Kasey Bangerter tells KNEB News the Pine Ridge fire had reached about 563 acres as of Wednesday morning according to an aerial mapping by the state Forestry Department, with rugged terrain making it difficult to get crews in to where they could attack the flames. A WFD helicopter with drop bucket was being used to apply water on active burn areas Wednesday afternoon.
Bangerter says the East Rock fire is burning on BLM land that’s even more rugged and heavily timbered, making that blaze even more difficult to fight. He tells us for that fire, additional hot-shot or hand crews are being dispatched, along with VLATs, the large planes used to drop fire retardant slurry, and at least a pair of SEATs (Single Engine Air Tankers).
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were no reported injuries and no damaged or lost structures, although Bangerter did say there was a cabin on the south side of the Pine Ridge fire that was being protected by firefighters.
