UPDATE: The fire acreage was later revised to 34,432.2 acres on Friday afternoon, according to an update on the Watch Duty App, via the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
(Hot Springs County, WY) – The Red Canyon Fire in Hot Springs County has grown to 50,000 acres as of approximately 10:35 AM this morning, August 15, according to the Watch Duty App and data provided by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
There are no updates as to the cause of the fire.
The Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Office also shared the following update Friday morning, August 15.
“Good morning, everyone. Just a brief update on the fire on the east side of Hot Springs County, named the “Red Canyon Fire”. There is an active fire in the area of Kirby Creek Rd and Black Mountain Rd. The last update is that the fire was staying south of Black Mountain Rd. There is also an active fire in the area Buffalo Creek Rd, east of Ditch Creek. This fire appears to have crossed the road and is heading southeast right now.
We ask the public to be safe and stay out of the affected areas. We also would like to again remind everyone to please not call 911 or the non-emergency number unless you need immediate assistance. We will try to post updates as we learn new information.”
Yesterday, the Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Office and the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security advised an immediate evacuation for residents living in the areas in red pictured below, and advised that folks in the surrounding areas “be ready” to evacuate as well. (No new details have been shared by law enforcement this morning as to updated evacuation areas.)
For any residents displaced during the evacuation process, an evacuation center is still set up at the Thermopolis Fire Hall, located at 400 S 14th St.