Fremont County officials report Bridger Creek wildfire remains large; incident command mobilizes hundreds

County commissioners were briefed on the Bridger Creek wildfire during their Aug. 19 meeting, where county staff described active firefighting efforts, evacuations and local mitigation steps.

The briefing matters because the fire is large, has prompted evacuation notices, and is affecting ranchers and county roads — officials emphasized local resource availability and ongoing coordination with incident command.

County staff member Larry said he monitored the fire overnight and that an evacuation notice was issued for Bridger Creek residents, though many did not leave. He described a flare-up on the south end between Badwater and Sioux Creek and said flames reached roughly “in excess of a 100 feet tall.” He said the fire was “approximately a 108,000 acres” and called the incident “the number 1 priority fire in The United States.”

Larry described operational details: an incident command team with about 500 personnel was assigned; large slurry aircraft and scooper planes were making repeated drops (he said scoopers can make a round trip in about 35 minutes, while retardant planes refilled in Casper and required roughly an hour round trip). He said hotshot crews were on the line and many ranchers were moving cattle out of threatened areas.

The county arranged for transportation crews to blade borrow pits and road shoulders as a preventive measure. Larry said he contacted Billy Meeks in Transportation; Meeks sent local equipment to blade No Wood Road shoulders and said the department would make additional blades, tanker trucks and other equipment available if formally requested. Commissioners asked for continued updates; no new formal directive or emergency order was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Speakers and others at the meeting noted potential grazing impacts on federal land: Larry highlighted that Bureau of Land Management policy can prohibit grazing on burned BLM allotments for a minimum of two years, a restriction that could affect local ranchers’ livelihoods.

Weather and fire behavior concerns remained: Larry said humidity had fallen and forecasts called for higher winds and temperatures that afternoon, conditions he called “not ideal.” Commissioners expressed concern for ranching livelihoods and asked staff to keep them informed.

The update closed with county officials saying they would remain available to help incident command and that Larry would continue to monitor the fire and provide photos and status updates later in the day.