CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A wildfire in the southern region of the state grew to more than twice the size reported the previous night, Wyoming’s governor said.
Republican Gov. Mark Gordon said in a tweet that the area affected by the blaze increased to an estimated 125 square miles (324 square kilometers) by Saturday afternoon, The Casper Star-Tribune reported Saturday.
Gordon said no firefighters had been injured as strong winds helped to spread the swelling wildfire, which has been designated as the Mullen Fire.
Authorities ordered new mandatory evacuations and closures and Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team officials held a virtual information session Saturday.
“All bets are off with this fire,” Operations Section Chief Chris Zoller said. “People ask all the time, ‘Is Laramie safe?’ Yes, I believe Laramie is safe. But will this fire travel out into the prairie and sage brush? Definitely.”
Gordon said there had not yet been any confirmed structure losses and emergency officials said firefighters were prioritizing protecting infrastructure.
Emergency officials did not have enough manpower to begin evaluating specific subdivisions. The growth had stretched the resources of fire teams “extremely thin,” Zoller said.
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