BLM and Sweetwater County battle wildfire

Wildland Firefighters from the BLM Rock Springs Field Office, BLM Utah, Sweetwater County along with available air resources responded to a fire at approximately 2 p.m. on August 3, 2020. The Richards Fire is located approximately 40 miles south of Rock Springs, Wyoming along Clay Basin Road. 

According to a BLM press release, the Richards Fire is approximately 2500 acres, 0% contained, burning in sage brush, grass and juniper and moving in a north east direction. A Type 3 Incident Management Team has been ordered and should arrive on the scene shortly. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, a Type 3 Incident Management Team is a multi-agency/multi-jurisdictional team used for extended incidents. It is formed and managed at the local, state or tribal level and includes a designated team of trained personnel from different departments, organizations, agencies and jurisdictions.

Red Flag weather conditions are expected to remain in place through today with more favorable weather moving into the area tomorrow. 

Firefighters are engaging the fire where they have a high probability of success and risk to personnel is manageable. Oil and gas infrastructure located east of the fire is an immediate concern. There are currently no evacuations in place and no structures have been lost. The cause of the fire remains unknown.