Fire Update for Clearmont, Leiter and Arvada

On Wednesday night, August 21, a fire south of Buffalo was being driven by strong winds, and several areas were evacuated in the path of fire.

Clearmont Mayor Chris Schock added that there were several rumors floating around about the fire. As of the evening of August 21, the fire was approximately 35 miles from Clearmont, but it was reported that there is a voluntary evacuation notice in place. Mayor Chris Schock said,

The fire jumped Interstate 90, between Buffalo and Gillette, closing the interstate in both directions. Traffic has been re-routed via Highway 14-16. As of 9 a.m. on August 22, the interstate is still closed, and according to the WYDOT road and travel conditions, the estimated opening time is around 12 hours.

On Thursday morning, Mayor Schock talked about the traffic coming through Clearmont.

Highway 14/16 is a secondary, two-lane road. Drivers must use extreme caution when passing, and they should reduce their speeds.

 Melanie Thomas Klier, Leiter Bar and Cafe in Leiter, Wyoming, urged drivers to be more careful, as there have been some wrecks near there caused by people trying to pass on the two-lane road. She added that Avada is under a voluntary evacuation order, but to her knowledge no one has evacuated the town.

There are other roads out of Clearmont should the evacuation become necessary. Buffalo can be reached via Thompson Creek Road, and Gillette can be reached via 14-16, and the Ulm Road goes to through Wyarno and into Sheridan.

Schock added

Clearmont Fire District Chief Josh McKinley said that as of 10 a.m. on August 22, the fire had not crossed into Sheridan County but was being fought by Campbell County and Johnson County Fire Departments.

Thanks to Sabrina McBride for the photos.

Watch Sheridanmedia for more updates.