The sky over the Wind River Range turns orange as the sun sets on a smoky Wednesday in a scene from Ray Lake near Fort Washakie. Wildfires across the West have provided spectacular evenings, but also have fouled the air in parts of Wyoming to the point of creating mild health worries (Elyse Guarino/WyoFile)
The sky over the Wind River Range turns orange as the sun sets on a smoky Wednesday in a scene from Ray Lake near Fort Washakie.
Smoke from wildfires across the West, including in California, helped tint the sky and obscure the range in haze.
If you’re interested in seeing where the smoke is drifting, what the health dangers are and what air quality is predicted, log on to the AirNow website to see air quality maps produced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For an overview of fires across the West, refer to the InciWeb page operated by federal agencies. The website lists fires by name and state and provides acreages burned, resources committed to the blazes and other information, including maps.
In Wyoming, the Laney Rim Fire burns about 30 miles southwest of Rock Springs. The Bureau of Land Management battles the blaze that covered 12,465 acres by Thursday morning. It was not posted on the inciweb site by Thursday.
Never miss a Photo — subscribe
Firefighters are suppressing the blaze, in part to protect habitat of greater sage grouse. One hundred forty-eight wildland firefighters are on the scene with 11 fire engines. They had contained 47 percent of its perimeter by Thursday, despite working in rough terrain.
Caused by lightning, the fire has cost $800,000 so far. The storm that ignited the conflagration lit two other fires that have been contained or controlled. A lack of resources prevented crews from catching the Laney Rim fire in its infancy, the BLM said in a statement.
Leave a Reply