Newcastle Field Office
| Contacts: | Beth Hermanson, Public Information Officer | |||
| (307) 746-2539 | ||||
| whoopupfireinfo@gmail.com |
Whoopup Fire Update No. 10
Crews on the northern sections of the Whoopup Fire continue to patrol and improve containment lines and structural protection areas. The Ferguson and Whoopup Gulch areas are considered fairly secure. Firefighters are continuing to improve and mop-up the area.
On the area formerly known as the Barrel Fire, currently known as Divisions L, M and T in the southeastern part of the fire. Firefighters will be improving fire line with a firing operation today. Resident may see heavy smoke in the area. Yesterday four heavy air tankers and four heavy helicopters worked the western fire perimeter to allow ground forces to safely build indirect containment lines. “Higher temperatures and lower relatives humidity’s could bring challenges to firefighters today”, stated Jay Esperance, Deputy Incident Commander. Night crews continued to improve and build fireline throughout the night, and, and day crews will do so today. When the lines are completed and the weather is favorable, burning out operations will be conducted.
Whoopup Fire at a Glance:
- Location: 10 miles southeast of Newcastle, Wyoming
- Cause: Lightning.
- Size: 8,884 acres, (lower acreage due to more accurate mapping)
- 60% contained.
- Date reported: July 17, 2011 11:59 pm.
- Equipment and Personnel: 4 Type I Firefighting Crews, 11 Type II Firefighting Crews, 75 Engines, 4 Type I helicopters, 1 type III helicopter, 4 heavy air tankers, 6 dozers. Total personnel assigned 688.
- Structures: 50 threatened; 1 outbuilding destroyed.
- Injuries: None
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.
Newcastle Field Office 1101 Washington Boulevard Newcastle, WY 82701-2968