High Desert District
| Contacts: | Shelley Gregory | |||
| 307-315-0612 |
BLM Increases Efforts on Ferris Fire
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) High Desert District is bringing in additional resources to help fight the growing Ferris wildfire, 30 miles northeast of Rawlins, Wyo.
Last night, fire crews completed a successful burnout operation to contain the fire on its south perimeter. Meanwhile, the fire pushed beyond its east and west perimeters, increasing the fire’s size by approximately 800 acres for a total of 3,642 acres. Red Flag warnings were issued for yesterday and today with single-digit relative humidity and 30 m.p.h. wind gusts contributing to the fire’s growth. Containment of the fire stands at 47 percent.
The fire has crossed Carbon County Road 497 and is burning through sagebrush and grass on BLM, state and private lands on Bear Mountain. The BLM is requesting that motorists avoid using Carbon County Road 497 due to ongoing fire activity.
The Stanislaus National Forest’s Type I Groveland hotshot crew is fighting the blaze as well as two Type II initial attack hand crews. Numerous federal and county engines have also responded with some engines standing by for structure protection on Buzzard Ranch.
Management of the fire will transition from a local Type IV incident team to a Western Wyoming Type III incident team on Sunday.
The wildfire was first reported at 11 a.m. on July 27; the cause remains under investigation.
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 280 Highway 191 North Rock Springs WY 82901