The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
An unusual mix-up last week led to county firefighters tackling a grass fire that, technically, they hadn’t needed to respond to.
According to Crook County Fire, the report came in of a grass fire just before noon on July 23. Moorcroft Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to Shipwheel Road, around five miles southwest of town.
Firefighters determined upon arrival that additional resources would be needed to combat the fire.
Assistance soon arrived in the form of county units from Pine Haven, Carlile (Zone 16) and Sundance. Because the fire was located so close to the county line, a request was made for Campbell County units to also respond. According to Great Plains Fire Information, a federal aircraft response was also involved in the incident.
The Shipwheel Fire was controlled at around 41 acres, according to Crook County Fire. According to Great Plains Fire Information, it was reported as contained by 2:13 p.m.
As crews continued the process of finishing up, Fire Warden Charlie Harrison was contacted by Great Plains Dispatch about a discrepancy with the latitude and longitude coordinates of the incident location.
This led to the discovery that the fire was actually within Campbell County’s jurisdiction.
The fire was turned over to Campbell County.
No injuries or structure damages have been reported from the fire. Great Plains Fire Information lists the fire as human-caused.
