Fish Fire in Crook County Is 98% Contained

The Fish Fire, which has burned over nearly 7,000 acres in Crook County, is 98% contained as of Tuesday morning, according to the multiagency InciWeb website.

"Crews are mopping up and cold trailing the firelines, and a separate division is repairing disturbance created by firefighting activities in order to reduce possible erosion and to protect water quality," according to InciWeb.

The fire was first reported on July 31 about seven miles southeast of Sundance, grew to more than 6,500 acres in a couple of days, and reached a peak of 6,793 acres as of Tuesday.

It has burned in short grass and timber including Ponderosa Pine in steep, rugged terrain on Iron Mountain in the Black Hills National Forest.

Authorities determined the fire was caused by human activity on private land and remains under investigation. A call to a fire spokesman about the cause of the fire was not returned as of Tuesday afternoon.

Looking forward, InciWeb stated the fuels will continue to dry and temperatures will rise as the week progresses, and no to low rates of fire spread are expected to continue for the next couple of days.

Higher temperatures in the low- to mid-90s will return Tuesday. Relative humidity will fall to 15% to 20%. Skies will remain clear, with light and variable winds.

These conditions are is expected to remain hot and dry for the rest of the week, with poor to fair recovery in the relative humidity overnight.

Even so, the relatively stable conditions will aid firefighters and will help towards full containment.

The number of personnel has been downsized to 178 from a high of nearly 500 on Friday. Remaining personnel include three crews, 14 engines and two bulldozers.

Resources from Crook County, several federal agencies, the Wyoming State Forestry Division and private contractors continue to contain the fire. Authorities will turn over the fire management to local agencies when circumstances allow.

Meanwhile, crews are working to restore or mitigate impacts caused by firefighting activities, reducing the visual aspects of disturbance, reducing risk of soil erosion, and speeding recovery of the soil and vegetation.

There will be a reconnaissance flight today to evaluate fire status and conditions, which  gives the fire managers a different perspective than from the ground. It ensures that no areas of the fire needing additional attention have been missed.