Newcastle Field Office
| Contacts: | Beth Hermanson, Public Information Officer | |||
| 1.307.746.2539 | ||||
| whoopupfireinfo@gmail.com |
Whoopup Fire Update No. 6
As of 7:00 am the Whoopup Fire had reached a containment of 40%. Currently the fire size is at 7,344 acres burned. Firefighters continue to make good progress due to cooler temperatures and higher humidity’s. Today firefighters will continue to build line around the fire’s perimeter. Weather is expected to be more favorable today with cooler temperatures, although there will be an increase in winds as a cold front passes through the area. Investigators have determined that lightning was the cause of the fire.
The fire known as the Barrel Fire, located south of the Whoopup Fire, is also being managed as a part of the Whoopup Fire.
The Public Information Center is located at the Weston County Fairgrounds, behind the grandstands in the black trailer. The public can obtain Whoopup Fire Information at (307) 746-2539. The Information Center will be open daily from 8:00 am through 9:00 pm. Updated information can be found at www.inciweb.org.
The fire is now under the management of the Rocky Mountain Type II Incident Management Team, Joe Lowe Incident Commander. Crews and resources assisting include; Wyoming State Division of Forestry, Weston County Sheriff’s Office, Custer (South Dakota) County Sheriff’s Department, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, State of South Dakota, State of Wyoming, Weston County, Bureau of Indian Affairs and US 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