Britania Mountain Fire over 26K acres

Posted 8/30/18

The Britania Mountain Fire grew to 26,028 acres as of Thursday afternoon, according to a news release issued Friday by Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black. Containment increased to 64 percent due to successful operations on the northern and eastern flanks of the fire.

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Britania Mountain Fire over 26K acres

Posted

WHEATLAND — The Britania Mountain Fire grew to 26,028 acres as of Thursday afternoon, according to a news release issued Friday by Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black. Containment increased to 64 percent due to successful operations on the northern and eastern flanks of the fire.

On Thursday, Albany County confirmed one residence had been lost and Platte County confirmed that two residences had been lost. These are in addition to the 15 outbuildings that were previously reported. County authorities have contacted these property owners.

Personnel fighting the fire number 436. The location of the fire is reported about 6 miles west of Wheatland.

Mandatory evacuations are in effect for residences north of Palmer Canyon Road in Platte County west of the Laramie River to the Albany County line. Evacuations are also in place for Albany County residents from the Platte County line to Cottonwood Road. Palmer Canyon Road remains closed from Kittel Road in Platte County to Cottonwood Road in Albany County.

Fletcher Park Road has reopened. Marble Road and Van Ortwick Hill Road remain closed. Laramie Peak Ranch subdivision residents remain on pre-evacuation status and should be prepared to evacuate with a 30-minute notice.

Hot weather is expected to abate Friday as a cold front passes over the area. Temperatures are expected to be cooler than Thursday with highs in the high 70s to mid 80s and relative humidity at 16-20 percent in the fire area. Winds are expected to be breezy throughout the day with west-northwest winds from 8 to 16 mph with gusts up to 24 mph. There is a chance for isolated for thunderstorms in the area, which could bring erratic outflow winds to the area.

Fire restrictions are in effect in Platte County. Details on those restrictions can be found at https://bit.ly/2wu4Psl or call 307-331-8521. These are the same restrictions that were implemented July 17 in Platte County. There are no fire restrictions in effect for Albany County.

A temporary flight restriction for the Britania Mountain Fire remains in effect around the entire fire area, including restrictions on unmanned aircraft systems, or drones. This TFR is expanding to incorporate the recent fire growth to the south.

To sign up for emergency alerts, residents of Platte County can visit https://bit.ly/2Lyewed; Albany County residents can visit https://bit.ly/2wx8wwO to sign up.

Thursday, firefighters were successful in constructing line to gain additional containment on the north side of the fire. On the eastern edge of the fire, crews mopped up and patrolled established containment line constructed over prior shifts. The southeastern corner of the fire increased containment as crews were successful in constructing direct fireline in the lighter fuels as well as using roads as indirect firelines to conduct firing operations along Palmer Canyon Road. Both fixed wing air resources and helicopters were utilized to support ground resources in these efforts. On the southwest corner of the fire, crews identified roads that may be utilized as indirect firelines and began prepping those areas to conduct continued firing operations.

On Friday, crews will continue securing, mopping up and patrolling the northern edge of the fire to make further gains in containment on that flank of the fire. The eastern end of the fire, crews will patrol established fire lines and work to increase containment in the southeastern corner of the fire. On the south flank of the fire, crews will continue working to protect homes and other values at risk as they continue firing operations while holding the fire north of the Palmer Canyon Road. Aircraft will again be used to support ground crews in operations in this division. Ground crews will continue prepping indirect containment lines on the southwest and western edges of the fire.

For More Information:

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6179

Facebook: facebook.com/britaniamountainfire

Fire Information Line: 307-228-4772