Squirrel Creek Final Update July 9,2012
Incident: Squirrel Creek Wildfire
Released: 7/9/2012
FINAL UPDATE
July 9, 2012
8:00 p.m.
Location: Medicine Bow National Forest, Albany County, Wyoming
Date & Time of Fire Start: June 30, 2012 1:00 p.m. Cause: Human Caused
Size: 10,921 acres Containment: 100 percent
Management: California Interagency Incident Management Team 4, Rocky Opliger, Incident Commander
Cooperating Agencies: Albany County Rural Fire District #1, Wyoming State Forestry Division, Albany County Sheriff's Department, Laramie Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, American Cross, Wyoming Highway Patrol
Fire Status: Today, crews successfully completed containment of the Squirrel Creek fire.
Evacuation and Closure Update: All evacuations in the Squirrel Creek Fire area have been lifted and residents are allowed to return to their homes. All roads previously closed due to the Squirrel Creek Fire are now open, including within the Medicine Bow National Forest. Please be aware of on-going fire-fighting activity in these areas and use caution.
Special Note: California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 will transfer command of the Squirrel Creek fire back to the Medicine Bow National Forest tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. Incident Commander Rocky Opliger stated, "I would like to give my thanks to the communities and citizens that were threatened by this fire, and the support you showed for the Incident Management Team. The incredible support showed by the community to the firefighters and emergency workers, is a model for success. Without that support we would not be today where we are with the fire, and able to allow people to return to their homes. I would like to give a special thanks to all the responding agencies involved, especially the Volunteer firefighters who laid the foundation for our Team to come in and be successful. Your support and incredible hospitality will be carried forth with our Team as we continue this difficult and long fire season."
"This entire incident has been a showcase in coordination and cooperation between agencies," stated Rick Cooksey, Deputy Forest Supervisor of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland. "It has been a job well-done by all and we would like to extend our sincere thanks. I appreciate the patience and understanding shown to us by the public during this fire, but would like to stress that we still have a long fire season ahead of us. Please be vigilant in following the ongoing fire restrictions and encourage your neighbors to do the same."
"As the emergency portion of this fire comes to an end, I'd like to express my gratitude to California Interagency Incident Management Team 4; Albany County fire, law enforcement and emergency management staff; the volunteer rural fire departments; the Medicine Bow National Forest; and the citizens of Laramie and Albany County," said Sheriff Dave O'Malley. "The interagency coordination, cooperation and public understanding helped make a challenging incident safe and manageable."
Further information, including photos and maps, please go to http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2970/ or http://wildlandfires.info/ .
Please call the following numbers between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. for Squirrel Creek fire information: 307-745-2300 (public) and 307-745-2323 (media).
