Wednesday, AUGUST 20, 2025 |
Sheriff Alex Bakken recommended two websites for monitoring wildfires in our region.
Carbon County remains dry, with little chance of rainfall expected this week. Earlier this month, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, at the request of Fire Warden John Rutherford, placed the entire county under Stage One fire restrictions. Under the order, residents are prohibited from having open fires or discharging tracer and incendiary ammunition, even on private property.
Speaking at the August 12th County Commissioners meeting, Fire Warden Rutherford explained that local law enforcement won’t actively patrol for open flames. However, if a fire on private land spreads out of control, the government will likely seek restitution for damages and suppression costs.
Soon after the meeting, residents signed up with AlertSense, the county’s emergency notification system, received calls and text messages announcing the county-wide fire ban.
Three days later, on August 15th, the U.S. Forest Service placed sections of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest in northwest Colorado under Stage Two fire restrictions. Citing extremely dry fuel conditions, gusty winds, and the risk of human-caused wildfires, open flames, welding, explosives, and outdoor smoking are banned.
Violation of the Stage Two fire restriction is punishable with a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by jail time of not more than six months, or both. Additionally, if it was determined that a person negligently or willfully started a wildland fire, they could also be held liable for damages and suppression costs.
Given the ongoing conditions, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken announced two websites that residents may use to track current wildfire activity: the Incident Information System, also known as InciWeb, and Watch Duty. In a social media post, Sheriff Bakken wrote that the two resources are trustworthy enough to be used by firefighters, first responders, and emergency management personnel.
Both websites show wildfire activity, with InciWeb covering the entire country and Watch Duty focusing on the western United States. Sheriff Bakken wrote that Watch Duty, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, appears to update more often than InciWeb and includes evacuation notices and zone breakdowns.
Here in Wyoming, the most prominent wildfire is the Red Canyon Fire, located only a handful of miles east of Thermopolis. According to the Watch Duty website, the Red Canyon Fire has burned over 109,000 acres and remains less than 30% contained as of yesterday morning. A Level Three evacuation order has been issued for the portions of Hot Springs and Fremont Counties closest to the blaze. A Level Three evacuation order is the highest level of alert during a wildfire emergency, signaling that your area is in immediate danger and you must leave at once.
In northern Colorado, the Crosho Fire, has burned over 2,000 acres of Rio Blanco and Routt counties. Residents in the nearby town of Yampa are under a Level One evacuation order, meaning they must be prepared to leave if the flames continue to spread. Yesterday morning, Watch Duty reported that the Crosho Fire was 14% contained.
In his social medial post, Sheriff Bakken urged all residents and visitors to observe the current fire bans. For more information about fire restrictions, visit the Carbon County Fire Protection District website at Carbon County Fire Protection District.
Links to InciWeb and Watch Duty will be included in this story when it is posted to the Bigfoot99 website later today.
InciWeb: State of Wyoming | InciWeb
Watch Duty: Watch Duty – Wildfire Maps & Alerts
