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A mix of clouds and sun. High 99F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Generally clear. Low 63F. WNW winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph.
Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 88F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
The Tongue River Fire District responds to a grass fire on Big Goose Road Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
The Tongue River Fire District responds to a grass fire on Big Goose Road Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
SHERIDAN — As Sheridan County fire restrictions go into effect Friday morning, local firefighting personnel are working to douse fires across the region and ensure extinguished fires do not reignite.
Goose Valley Fire Department officials responded to reports of reignition of a grass fire on the 500-block Big Goose Road in Sheridan twice Thursday, although no reignition had occurred, said GVFD Fire Chief Allan Trumbull.
Personnel from GVFD, Sheridan Fire-Rescue, Big Horn Volunteer Fire Department and Ranchester Volunteer Fire department responded to a grass fire on the 500-block of Big Goose Road in Sheridan Wednesday. The fire, driven by the wind, expanded to about 10 acres before firefighters extinguished it.
On Thursday, Trumbull said passersby reported possible reignition of the fire twice, around 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. However, the landowner had the former site of the fire under control and, upon inspection, GVFD personnel found no hot spots at the scene and dumped additional water on the burned area out of an abundance of caution. Trumbull said it was likely people driving by the area mistook residual dust and smoke in the area for active burning.
In the Bighorn Mountains Thursday, firefighters continued working to contain the Gem Lake Fire, which is believed to have ignited last week when a plane crashed west of Buffalo.
Estimated at around 15 acres Wednesday, continuous helicopter water drops throughout the day ensured the fire’s growth was limited Thursday, despite previous concerns about hot dry weather expediting fire expansion, Bighorn National Forest Public Information Officer Sara Evans Kirol said in a recent Facebook post.
Due to the potential for rapid fire growth and lack of safety zones in the area, Kirol said all Gem Lake Fire suppression efforts have been completed using air resources.
Meanwhile, in Southern Montana, a fire — dubbed the Wall Fire — ignited yesterday along the Tongue River southeast of Birney, said Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Fire Management Officer Randy Sanders. Burning on a combination of private and Bureau of Land Management land, the fire has grown to between 2,000 and 3,000 acres primarily in Rosebud County, Montana. Firefighters are deploying BLM and county fire engines and heavy equipment in addition to aviation resources, including helicopters and aerial fire retardant, Sanders said.
The fire has not been contained, but it remains a ways away from the Montana-Wyoming border, Sanders explained. It would have to cross much of southern Big Horn County, Montana, to reach Sheridan County.
Because of the fire’s current location, local resources have not yet gotten involved in firefighting efforts. Clearmont Fire District dispatcher Chris Thomas said the district may get involved in fighting the Wall Fire if it expands onto Big Horn County, Montana, or Padlock Ranch land, but that depends on the path of the blaze.
Concurrent to these fires, Sheridan County’s fire restrictions went into effect at 8 a.m. Friday morning, restricting fires except in certain circumstances and use of flammable devices. According to the Sheridan County Commissioners’ resolution, this year’s fire restrictions are similar to those put into effect last year, which prohibit fireworks without a proper permit and offer guidance on welding, grinding, branding, recreational fires and burn barrel usage.
The restrictions will remain in effect until removed by the county commissioners, usually when cooler, wetter weather conditions arrive in the fall.
Margaret O'Hara is a reporter at The Sheridan Press.
Margaret O'Hara is a reporter at The Sheridan Press.
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