Today’s Headlines:
- The saw mill in Saratoga is still standing today after a massive fire burned through the back yard of the facility Monday. The fire raced a mile or more to the north, torching everything in its path. The fire burned through the night as high winds hampered efforts to extinguish the flames. It is still an active scene with charred remnants of wood piles and fresh cut logs still belching smoke and flames.
- Some residents in the neighborhoods around the saw mill were evacuated Monday evening. However, Carbon County Emergency Management Coordinator John Zieger said they were all allowed to return home a few hours later. Zieger said cots were set up at the gym in the Platte Valley Community Center were not needed. Meanwhile, power was also turned off to the affected neighborhoods for a time. Joe Parrie with Carbon Power and Light said electricity had been restored to all but a few residences around Saratoga Lake by ten o’clock last night. Parrie said local fire officials requested that the power be removed from the line on the north side of the mill yard around 4 pm. Those lost lines were lost when power poles were consumed in the flames. Parrie added that many of Carbon Power’s line workers double as volunteer firemen and are on the scene of the fire this morning. Meanwhile, Jim Piche with the Ryan Park Volunteer Fire Department said response teams will likely be on the scene of the fire for the next few days.
- Two men facing charges in separate assault cases pleaded not guilty in Carbon County District Court.
- In Rawlins, a series of troublesome waterlines and sewer mains will soon be repaired or replaced as part of the 2018 water and sewer improvement project. The City first went out to bid on the project in March. During tonight’s meeting, members of the Rawlins City Council will award the work to one of four companies that chose to bid.
- Due to budget constraints, the Carbon County Higher Education Center is proposing to reduce the number of college courses high school students can take and to limit classes that will be available.
- The Saratoga track team handled business over the past week as they were able to attend two meets.
