It was an intense 24 hours as a fire burned over 20 acres in Dry Fork Canyon this weekend putting multiple homes and structures in danger. The Dry Fork Settlement Fire was called in on Friday afternoon and resulted in a temporary evacuation of Red Cloud Loop and Settlement Road. Crews battled the blaze and it was considered 100 percent contained by Saturday night at 9:00pm. A public meeting to discuss the Pine Ridge Fire and preventing wildfire that was previously scheduled was still held on Friday. The meeting was well attended as citizens are concerned about the upcoming fire season. “Both [the Pine Ridge Fire and Dry Fork Settlement Fire] were human caused,” shares BLM representative Kelsey Birchell. “People need to pay close attention to weather and the situation around them. Our fuel moistures are critically low and so we need the public to be fire smart. We are not in restrictions currently,” continues Birchell, “but we are taking that decision a day at a time. I would assume we will be going in within the next couple of weeks.” All are urged to use extreme caution and be fire wise!
