Strong leadership, communication prevented grass fire from escalating, officials say
Feb. 26—CHEYENNE — Saturday's large-scale grass fire west of Cheyenne could have been far worse, authorities said Monday, especially without the strong line of communication local agencies have spent years developing.
Several factors worked to make the blaze worse, including sustained winds of 50+ miles per hour and wind gusts that the National Weather Service of Cheyenne said reached speeds of up to 70 mph that day. Multiple sources said initial reports attributed the incident to a vehicle fire that erupted between eastbound and westbound Interstate 80.
"I think this type of event one mile north or two miles north would have had a much, much more significant impact and potential risk to life safety," Laramie County Fire Authority Chief Jason Caughey said. "So, I think it's important to highlight to our community that — even though there's snow on the ground — it's still very dry, and that those fire conditions, especially on those windy days, are very dangerous."
Harsh winds blew the fire south, over the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80, causing the fire to spread dramatically.
"The wind was not our friend," Laramie County Fire District 1 Chief Darrick Mittlestadt told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle via text message Saturday.
According to visual observations by the WTE and accounts from officials that responded to the scene, the fire stretched from mile marker 352 of Interstate 80 east toward the highway's junction with Interstate 25. The fire also spread south toward Otto Road.
The blaze started in Laramie County Fire District 10, a district that covers a small section of the county west of Cheyenne and adjacent to Albany County.
When reports of the fire first came in, LCFD10 Assistant Chief Jason Ruff was headed to Cheyenne and took initial control of the scene.
The key factor that kept the fire from getting worse, he said, was that the county's fire districts had spent years preparing to work together, and have established a strong line of contact with one another.
"It's a testament to a decade or more worth of leadership in this county," Ruff said. "The reason that this thing went so smoothly is that you've got really strong leadership from all of the county chiefs. They all meet once a month; we cross-train across counties. ... So, the only reason that we were able to tackle such a complex problem is because of the strong leadership from the collective body. Without that leadership set, this becomes a much more dynamic problem."
The WTE previously reported that a firefighter was injured during the response to Saturday's fire. Ruff said that the injured person was his wife, a full-time firefighter with LCFD10. He said he transferred control of the scene to Caughey once he found out she was hurt.
"We had a couple apparatus get stuck out there," he said. "When they were trying to get her unstuck, the cable snapped and came back to where she was at and wrapped around her and got her legs."
He said the other responders to the scene were incredibly supportive, and allowed him to leave to accompany his wife to the hospital.
"I was still in command of the scene at that time," he continued. "... It just so happened, with a firefighter down, I found out quickly it was my wife, and the leadership set that was on the ground was like, 'Hey, what can we do for you?' And, I was like, 'I'm going to turn this over to you guys so I can go meet my wife at the hospital.' So, yeah, it's pretty tough."
The efforts departments in the county have made to work together, and communicate with one another, is what saved the day, he concluded.
"I just can't give enough credit to the collective body," Ruff continued. "So, 50-mile-an-hour winds with a fire that is moving toward town, it's not a problem set that got solved that day, it's a problem set that got solved over the last decade was super strong leaders and training and just unbelievable dedication to being the best responders that you can be. That goes for all organizations across the board; that's a team effort. ... You can't do it without teamwork."
Every agency in the county, except for Laramie County Fire District 3 in the northeast corner of the county, responded to the fire. Authorities determined that some engines needed to remain on the eastern end of the county in case other emergencies broke out.
Albany County also sent over assistance, including some firefighters who are stationed at the Vedauvoo Recreation Area. Firefighters from Colorado also assisted with emergency response.
One firefighter from LCSD10 who responded to the scene told the WTE, succinctly, his strategy for responding to the fire. "Spray water," he said.
Samir Knox is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice and public safety reporter. He can be reached by email at sknox@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3152. Follow him on Twitter at @bySamirKnox.
