U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Newcastle Field Office
Newcastle Field Office
| Contacts: | Beth Hermanson, Public Information Officer | |||
| 1.307.746.2539 | ||||
| whoopupfireinfo@gmail.com |
Whoopup Fire Update No. 5
At 6:00 pm this evening the Rocky Mountain Type II Incident Management Team, Joe Lowe, Incident Commander, assumed command of the Whoopup Fire. The fire continued to burn aggressively today due to dry fuels, steep terrain, and extreme weather conditions. Firefighters will continue to improve firelines and patrol the perimeter throughout the night.
Statistics of the Whoopup Fire:
- Start date: July 17,2011 11:59 pm
- Location: 10 miles south of Newcastle, Wyoming
- Cause: Under Investigation
- Size: 5,544
- Percent Contained: 10%
- Homes Evacuated: 14 in Wyoming and 2 in South Dakota were evacuated in the evening of July 16, 2011
- Cooperating and assisting agencies: Wyoming State Division of Forestry, Weston County Sheriff’s, South Dakota Custer County Sheriff’s Department, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Parks Service, State of South Dakota, State of Wyoming, Weston County, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife Services
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