Rawlins Field Office
| Contacts: | Shelley Gregory | |||
| 307-315-0612 |
BLM Contains Ghost Town Wildfire
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) High Desert District (HDD) fire crews have 100 percent contained the .82 acre Ghost Town wildfire located about a mile north of Walcott Junction off I-80 within the historic Walcott town site and sheep ranch.
The wildfire started the night of June 6 and flared up the morning of June 7. A BLM Type IV engine, Type VI engine and a four-person fuels module responded and quickly contained the fire in coordination with Carbon County firefighters. Mop-up operations are currently underway and the BLM will continue to monitor the area until the incident commander declares the fire completely out.
Moving mainly through sagebrush and grass, the fire destroyed the historic sheep shearing barn and pens built by the Vivion family in 1916. The structures were part of the last standing Australian style sheep station in the United States. BLM archaeologists are assessing the damage to the historic site which is currently listed as "unevaluated" while undergoing the nomination process for formal listing with the National Register of Historic Places.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
For more information, please contact High Desert District Fire Management Officer Frank Keeler at 307-352-0282 or fkeeler@blm.gov.
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. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.
Rawlins Field Office 1300 North Third Street Rawlins WY 82301