Fire Crews Estimate Containment Date On Crater Ridge Fire

After battling a wildland fire in the Bighorn National Forest for the past 2 ½ months, the end may finally be in sight.

Fire crews that have been battling the Crater Ridge fire, northwest of Sheridan, have an estimated containment date of Saturday, October 9th.

At last report, the fire that started in the middle of July, has burned more than 7,300 acres and is 70% contained.

The fire has carved a path through the Pumpkin Creek burn scar area, which was on fire back in 1970, and has slowly moved towards the Montana border, but has not crossed it.

Going through the burn scar area has slowed the growth of the fire, because there’s not as much burnable material available, compared to normal.

Some areas of the fire are still in areas that are inaccessible.

For those areas that fire crews can get to, the recent change in weather has allowed them to access and battle the fire directly.