Last night, more than 1,300 evacuated residents were allowed to come home. Most of them returned to find their homes still standing; but at least 13 houses were destroyed.
While the roads have reopened, Casper Fire-EMS Information Officer Craig Kidder urged the general public to stay out of the area. It is still an active fire, and it is best to limit the traffic that firefighters need to navigate.
An official containment update has not yet been released this morning, but Kidder said the main mode of operation today is mop-up. This is the process of picking through the ravaged area and making sure all the small hot spots are extinguished. All it takes to start the process all over again is the wind carrying a spark from one of these spots to unburnt, dry grass. “This is the dirty work that needs to be done,” he said.
The command center for operations is being moved today from Geary Dome Road to Fire Station 13 on Wild Cat Road.
Watch the video where the screenshot is from here.