Update 10:30 p.m. Thursday
The House Draw fire began on the south end of Megan Welles and her family’s property, just southeast of Buffalo and south of I-90. Once the fire started, she began to move her horses off the pasture.
“That fire just started rolling over the hill and all we could kind of do is try to put out little spots, but the wind was blowing so bad that what we had wasn't enough,” said Welles.
The fire threatened their house, but thankfully due to a plane out of Idaho, the fire was put out.
“They said it was the last one that they could find and it came and dropped slurry right on our indoor arena. It protected it from burning because it was very close to being caught on fire,” said Welles.
Welles said thanks to neighbors and firefighters that they and their horses are safe, but the damage to their property is beyond repair.
“I would say 85, 90% of our ranch, the grass got burnt. The cows that we have seen look okay. I think there's been a small loss of cattle in the area,” said Welles. “I'm still a bit in the shock mode, where I just put my feet on the ground and get some work done. I don't think reality has really kicked in for anybody yet.”
While the fire is still unpredictable, Welles and many others are hoping for a way forward.
“Now we're just going to try to pick up the pieces. We have all of our fences are burned to the ground. There's just wire on the ground. We're going to have to rebuild fences, find the cattle. We're probably going to have to downsize our horse herd because we don't have any grass, and we're a grass ranch so we have limited hay as well,” said Welles. “It's just going to be a job of picking up the pieces from here on out.”
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Update 4 p.m.
The House Draw fire in northern Wyoming between Clearmont and Kaycee is zero percent contained as 70 firefighters are at the scene.
The Johnson County, Wyoming, Department of Emergency Management reported Thursday afternoon that the fire is 163,466 acres and burning through sagebrush and grasslands.
No homes have been lost, but 60 structures are threatened, along with miles of fence, oil and gas infrastructure, water tanks and livestock. A few outbuildings have burned.
Firefighters are using 16 engines, 13 dozers/ blades and two helicopters.
Evacuation Orders have been issued in Johnson County for those North of I-90, to the Northern and Eastern Johnson County line areas, those who live in the Buffalo-Sussex cutoff area, the Prairie Land Village and residents between Cook Road and I-90.
- Reporting by MTN News
(first report)
Firefighters are battling multiple fires in Johnson, Campbell and Sheridan counties in Wyoming, as well as in Big Horn County, Montana.
As of 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 21, the House Draw Fire which started southeast of Buffalo, has burned more than 4,000 acres, has moved in a northeast direction and has jumped I-90, reports Sheridan Media. The fire was reported to have grown to over 160,000 acres overnight into Thursday.
Evacuation Orders have been issued in Johnson County for those North of I-90, to the Northern and Eastern Johnson County line areas, those who live in the Buffalo-Sussex cutoff area, the Prairie Land Village and residents between Cook Road and I-90.
Sheridan County Emergency Management has issued a Voluntary Evacuation Advisory, for Southeast Sheridan County, including the towns of Clearmont and Arvada.
Shelter is available at the Bomber Mountain Civic Center in Buffalo.
WYDOT has closed I-90 between Buffalo and Gillette.
Click here for more detailed information
In Montana, the Barber Draw Fire has burned more than 5,000 acres north of the Tongue River Reservoir and East of Montana State Highway 314.
Big Horn County Montana emergency officials have issued an evacuation warning, as the fire is aggressively moving south toward the Reservoir.
RELATED: Tongue River Reservoir State Park evacuated third time due to fire
