WHEATLAND – Multiple fire agencies were on-scene immediately after called to a fire on East Oak Street in Wheatland at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Multiple agencies were called to contain the spread and put out the flames of a garage with vehicles near it, in addition to a subsequent grass fire.
“The fire was contained pretty quickly,” Wheatland fire chief Bob Glasson said, emphasizing it would have taken several more hours to douse the flames without the aid of the town’s lone ladder truck, which was able to put a significant amount of water on the fire in a short period of time. “The ladder truck has been a real benefit to te community…It puts out a lot of water and definitely makes a difference.”

Wheatland, Guernsey, Glendo, and Camp Guernsey Fire Departments, and grass / wildland firefighters from Palmer Canyon and Wheatland Rural fire departments responded to the incident. Wheatland police, Platte County Sheriff’s department, Platte County Emergency Management, and Town of Wheatland employees were among those assisting with the security response and traffic management. Exploding propane cylinders added to the danger of the situation and increased the distance the public was asked to remain away from the center of activity.
Unofficially, Glasson said it appeared the fire was a worst-case-scenario involving a combination of high-temperature conditions and gas cans near a vehicle parked by the building, creating the opportunity for combustion. Fire crews were able to keep the nearby trailer house from catching on fire.
Several firemen suffered from minor heat-related injuries, but none were admitted to the hospital.
Glasson said the scene was cleared by 9:30 p.m. and turned back to the renter and homeowner. The State of Wyoming ATF is investigating the official cause of the accident, as those officials were in the area and able to be immediately on scene. It will take approximately a week for their report to be released.