Earlier this summer, fire chiefs in Sheridan County sat down to evaluate their approach to wildfire management. Coming out of a record low snow year, one thing was clear: It was going to likely be a rough fire season.
Jesse Ludikhuize, Sheridan County’s emergency management coordinator, said that the conversation was one that centered around collaboration and utilizing the full extent of available resources. Sheridan County Fire-Response has 17 full-time personnel covering 2,500 square miles and 28,000 residents.
“We need to change how we respond to these fires, and as soon as we get a page of a fire, we're gonna ask for any of these agencies with water tenders to come out immediately," Ludikhuize said of the consensus.
In past years, local fire departments would first respond to the scene and evaluate if additional resources were needed, according to Ludikhuize. This year, all nearby fire agencies are immediately responding to a call, regardless of size.
This focus on putting out wildfires as quickly as possible mirrors efforts on both a state and national level.
Wyoming State Forester Kelly Norris recently presented current season outlooks to the State Loan & Investment Board and State Board of Land Commissioners.
“This has been one of Wyoming's busiest and most complex fire seasons in recent years. To date, we've responded to approximately 803 wildfires that have burned over 42,000 acres, with approximately 80% to 85% of those acres occurring on state and private lands,” Norris said.
The rate of wildfires is nearly double that of 2024, according to Norris. She said the amount of new burns has been “remarkable,” with multiple days this season where 10 to 12 new fires have started in a single day.
“Despite these challenges, Wyoming entered this fire season better prepared than before,” Norris said. “Investments in expanded aviation resources, a strategically located single engine air tanker base, two state wildland fire modules and a strong smoke buster inmate hand crew program has significantly strengthened our response capabilities, and those investments are producing measurable results.”
Norris said about 20 fires have been approved to tap into the state’s Emergency Fire Suppression Account for a total of about $6 million. Twenty-one counties across the state have implemented some level of fire restrictions. Restrictions are also in place for the entirety of Wyoming Bureau of Land Management lands, the Bridger Teton National Forest and the Medicine Bow National Forest.
Norris said Wyoming’s new resources have led to more independence when it comes to addressing wildfires.
“Incident durations are shorter, and we're reducing the reliance on more expensive out-of-state resources while ensuring firefighters have the personnel and aviation support that they need to safely suppress fires,” Norris said.
Outlooks by the National Interagency Coordination Center maintain significant fire risk across much of the state, particularly in western Wyoming, where severe fires that could require outside help are expected more than a normal year.
“The recent monsoon rains have moderated conditions in southwest Colorado sufficiently to bring the significant fire potential back to normal. However, farther north on the West Slope and into southwestern Wyoming where the rain amounts were lighter during July, above normal significant fire potential is forecast for August,” according to the National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook.
Particularly dry southern and eastern parts of the state are expected to remain at an elevated risk of wildfires.
“Above normal significant fire potential is expected to continue in August across all but portions of southern Nevada, central and southern Utah, and the Arizona Strip. Above normal potential will then move mostly into Idaho, Wyoming, northern and western Nevada by September, with a return to normal conditions by October regionwide,” the outlook continued.
In Sheridan, which received more snow this past winter than many lower-elevation parts of the state, Ludikhuize said the number and severity of wildfires this season has been noticeable.
“We have been seeing the fires grow quicker than we've seen probably in the past. We seem to have a few more red flag days or low humidity days, high wind days than we've seen typically in this time of year,” Ludikhuize said.
He also highlighted how additional resources such as aerial support have allowed for local departments to better respond to fires and have helped contain fires before they grow too large.
”We've been very, very fortunate in that we've had some of our air resources that have started and were here earlier than normal,” Ludikhuize said about responding to the Cat Creek Fire, which burned 142 acres near Sheridan last week. “ If we didn't have those firefighting aircraft, it could have been much worse.”
The Wyoming Helitac Program, a helicopter fire response crew, has responded to 28 fires and accumulated more than 116 flight hours. A medium helicopter has supported 21 fires.
“Together, these aircrafts have delivered 246,000 gallons of water already this year,” Norris said.
Response rates are expected to continue to climb through the remainder of the wildfire season.
The high rate and severity of fires in Wyoming comes as states like Oregon, Washington and Utah also face significant fires that have displaced thousands.
“The country has returned to Preparedness Level 5, the highest national preparedness level, as major fires in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah continue to draw firefighting resources from across the nation,” Norris said.
While protecting population-dense areas and private property can be critical to the health and wellbeing of nearby communities, some research has shown benefits to low-intensity burns in forest areas. Wildfires can strengthen some ecosystems by clearing low-lying brush and shrubbery. This allows for new growth. However, with trending warmer wildfire seasons, the size of wildfires and the length of the season has increased.
Ludikhuize said that maintaining “defensible space” clear of brush, wood piles or decorative shrubs can be critical to protecting a home when wildfires are nearby. He advises individuals planning a campfire, yardwork or operating construction equipment to keep a hose or bucket of water nearby to dump on sparks before they turn into fires.
“The other key thing is just don't wait to call 911,” Ludikhuize said. “We'd rather get our fire personnel on the way there and then cancel them, than wait for 30 minutes before it's really out of control.”
Wyoming counties have individual emergency management supervisors and systems to notify individuals of potential fire threats. To learn more about each emergency management system and opt in to receive notifications, visit https://hls.wyo.gov/contacts/county-contacts.
