Sara Teter

The National Weather Service in Cheyenne has issued a tornado watch for six counties in Wyoming.

Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black says that preliminary investigations suggest that the Badger Creek Fire is human-caused.

Cool, wet weather over the weekend helped crews gain containment over the badger creek fire, which is now estimated at 20,090 acres and is now 85 percent contained.

The Badger Creek Fire has now grown to 17,934 acres, with zero containment.

The Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black says the Badger Creek Fire has grown to 14,960 acres, with no containment.

Officials from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black and cooperators held a meeting at 7 p.m, at the Albany County Fairgrounds. Wednesday to brief Albany County residents on the Badger Creek Fire.

The Badger Creek Fire doubled in size Tuesday afternoon, from 2,300 acres to 5,244 acres, with growth primarily to the east.

The Badger Creek Fire has burned 2,300 acres after it made a large, wind-driven run Monday in southern Albany County on the Medicine Bow National Forest and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the fire.

Full evacuations are in place for Wold, Mountain Home and Wycolo according to Aimee Binning, Albany County Emergency Management coordinator.

The longtime UW Rodeo Coach George Howard, 59, has passed away after a shooting accident that occurred in Douglas over the weekend.

Both directions of Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne has been closed due to winter weather conditions, the Wyoming Department of Transportation says.

The plan will focus on student recruitment, retention and graduation, remotely offered degree programs, increased collaboration with the state’s community colleges and k-12 schools, research funding and private contributions to the university.