Disaster averted for town of Pine Haven

Wildfire came so close to Pine Haven last week that flames were clearly visible from residents’ back yards on the northwest end of town. Fortunately, thanks to the combined efforts of 85 firefighters from numerous local units, it was brought under control with the loss of just one home.

The fire was reported on the afternoon of June 16 at around 2 p.m. and quickly reached 100 acres in size. Approximately 60 residents in the northwest part of Pine Haven were evacuated and asked to voluntarily remain out of their homes overnight, while Wind Creek Campground was closed and Highway 113 into Pine Haven was restricted to residents.

Human Caused

The fire is believed to have been unintentionally human caused, which means there is no evidence of a lightning strike or arson, but also no evidence of foul play at the point of origin. Unintentional human causes often involve such things as a spark from a blade on a rock or ash from a cigarette or campfire.

By the evening, firefighters had been able to build a line completely around the fire within the first few hours and began back burn operations to reinforce it. However, significant unburned fuel was present in the area and was still actively burning.

No injuries were reported from either firefighters or members of the public. Sadly, however, one residence, an outbuilding and two campers were lost to the fire.

The multi-agency response on that first evening included 30 county fire engines as well as a unit from Wyoming State Forestry and two units from the Bureau of Land Management, two single engine air tankers, a helicopter and four-person heli tack crew, a 20-person hand crew, two privately owned and two county blades and a dozer.

Volunteer firefighter crews came in from the county, Moorcroft, Pine Haven, Carlile, Sundance, Hulett, Aladdin, Beulah and Oshoto. Assistance also arrived from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office and Crook County Emergency Management, as well as the Bureau of Reclamation, Keyhole State Park, Wyoming Highway Patrol and the United States Forest Service Thunder Basin National Grassland unit.

By morning, the fire had grown slightly to 103 acres but was reported to be 85% contained. Mop-up operations had started, though unburned fuel continued to smolder.

Evacuation orders were lifted and the highway was reopened to the public, while the number of firefighters on scene dropped to 53. By the evening of June 17, the fire had been completely contained; the next day, it was released to Pine Haven Volunteer Fire.

Unburned fuel deep inside the fire’s interior continued to smolder through the weekend, with smoke still visible from the site. For this reason, the fire continued to be closely monitored.

Though the largest and most potentially dangerous in Crook County last week, the Pine Haven fire was not the only incident calling for the attention of local firefighters. Numerous calls for assistance included the five-acre Cottonwood2 Fire, the 3.2-acre Blue Ridge Fire and the 9.3-acre T Hill Fire on June 15, all lightning-caused and located northeast of Hulett.