High Desert District Office
| Contacts: | Serena Baker | |||
| 307-350-0448 |
Windmill Fire Under Control
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), High Desert District Fire Crews have the Windmill Fire near Evanston, Wyo. under control at 80 percent contained.
Crews are mapping the burn area today which at its peak encompassed 5,000 to 6,000 acres five miles east of Evanston. The Windmill Fire has been downgraded in complexity, resources are being reassigned, and fire management is being transitioned to Uinta County Fire Department. Full containment is expected tomorrow.
The blaze started Sept. 17 and had been burning mainly grass, sage and piñon juniper trees. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No structures were destroyed, and no damage sustained by the nearby wind towers. Wyoming Highway Patrol closed portions of Interstate-80 on Sunday due to smoke and low visibility.
Firefighters and air crews from the BLM, U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming Fire Service, State of Wyoming, and Uinta County responded to the blaze.
For more information contact High Desert District Fire Management Officer Frank Keeler at (307) 352-0282.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
High Desert District Office 280 Highway 191 North Rock Springs, WY 82901