Fire danger is high now

Scott Kitchner, fire chief at Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1, hopes the upcoming July 4th holiday isn’t like last year.

For firefighters throughout the county, the day was filled with fire calls, with fire crews ultimately responding to 17 calls in the 24-hour period.

“We don’t want a repeat of last year,” he said.

However, despite recent storms, Kitchner said the fire season seems to be starting earlier than usual, saying fire fuels are plentiful.

High winds, coupled with the summer heat, have resulted in grasses getting dried out. Those grasses, as well as dead foliage from last year, create ample fuel for a wildland fire. Kitchner said fire conditions will likely only get worse.

“If it’s this dry already ... it’s only going to get hotter and dryer,” he said.

The state already has one large fire burning in the Medicine Bow National Forest. The Badger Creek Fire as of Tuesday morning was reported to be 88 percent contained and has consumed more than 20,090 acres. The fire is located in southern Albany County, near the Wyoming-Colorado state line.

Chief Mike Nomis of the Green River Fire Department said the fire danger might be higher this year because of the reduced amount of snow and moisture the area has received. For the upcoming July 4th holiday, Nomis said the GRFD will have firefighters from the Bureau of Land Management and Sweetwater County Fire Department on standby at their fire station. Nomis said he understands people will use fireworks in the days leading up to July 4th, but wants them to take care in how they’re lighting them.

“They just need to be more careful with fireworks,” Nomis said. “(They) need to understand it’s dry and the possibility of fire is really high.”