A fire in northern Wyoming that exploded Wednesday to more than 5,000 acres has displaced about 10 families and shut down Interstate 90 between Buffalo and Gillette, an emergency management coordinator said.

The fire started around 11 a.m. or noon Wednesday south of Buffalo near Crook Road, Johnson County Emergency Management Coordinator Jimmy Cataline told Cowboy State Daily in an afternoon phone call.

That’s a rural area with a mini-community of between 10 and 15 houses around Deer Trail, plus farm, ranch and public lands, Cataline added.

High winds whipped up the flames across the dry fields. Pushing northeast, the fire grew rapidly and crossed over Interstate 90 toward Deer Creek.

Evacuate

Authorities gave evacuation orders, with Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies, Buffalo police officers and Bureau of Land Management rangers visiting homes door-to-door to deliver the message.

A shelter is now open at the Bomber Mountain Civic Center in downtown Buffalo, Cataline said.

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, no one had taken refuge there. Cataline said some locals have been offering to help with food, water or other accommodations. Animals are welcome at the animal shelter and livestock or other pets are also welcome at the Johnson County fairgrounds, he said.

“I don’t have numbers on how many people have been evacuated because nobody’s come here,” said Cataline of the shelter.

Because the fire has crossed Interstate 90 (at around mile marker 72), the Wyoming Highway Patrol has closed the interstate between Buffalo and Gillette temporarily.

Cataline said personnel are diverting traffic up an old state highway that connected Sheridan and Gillette before the interstate and “up some smaller backroads.”

Johnson County Fire, Powder River Fire, Buffalo Fire, Story Fire and BLM Fire all are responding to fight the blaze, he said.

“The coordinated team effort going on among all those groups, and how quick to action they were is exceptional,” Cataline said. “The fire hasn’t slowed down and neither have they.”

Firefighters hope for the wind to die down this evening, and with a chance of rain.

“We’re all doing a rain dance now,” said the emergency coordinator. 

Cataline said he does not yet know the fire’s cause, though some are blaming lightning.

Johnson County Fire Control could not be reached immediately Wednesday.  

Forecast Not Encouraging

Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day said Wednesday’s forecast isn’t encouraging. The wind should abate a little after dark, but the region will be warm and breezy again starting Thursday.

“There are showers and thunderstorms out there, but they’re more to the east – the South Dakota border, more towards Newcastle, Sundance – those areas,” said Day.

Chances of rain in Buffalo are low.

Day said he didn’t have exact lightning data at his fingertips, nor could he pinpoint the fire’s cause, but there was lightning activity in the area around the time the fire started.

Contact Clair McFarland at clair@cowboystatedaily.com

Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.

Wyoming’s Speaker of the House and veteran of the Cowboy State lawmaking world will be out of politics for now. This political upset in the primaries marks a larger shift in state politics.

Sublette County rancher Albert Sommers (R-Pinedale) lost the Republican race for Senate District 14, which serves much of southwest Wyoming. Laura Pearson of the Kemmerer-area won by about 200 votes, according to The Associated Press.

Pearson is new to the political scene. She’s a fourth generation sheep rancher, school bus driver and a small business owner. She’s endorsed by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. It’s a national political faction that’s gaining traction in the Wyoming Republican Party.

Sommers, who’s served in Sublette County’s state House seat since 2013 and has been a leader of the lawmaking body for two sessions, said this primary election marks a new chapter for Wyoming politics.

“I do have concerns, but ultimately we will see how they [the Freedom Caucus] lead, right?” Sommers said shortly after his race was called. “That remains to be seen. They haven’t been in power before, so you can’t say for sure how they will govern, but time will tell.”

After the primary, the Freedom Caucus is close to controlling half of the Wyoming House. In the Senate, they endorsed three other candidates – one of which won: Tim French held on to his seat in Senate District 18 representing much of Park County.

Generally speaking, the group emphasizes “family values,” “individual freedoms” and “limited government.” In Wyoming, that has meant supporting minimal federal government involvement, including funding for mental health and K-12 education programs. They also have touted climate-denial talking points that are largely disputed by the science community.

In recent years, Sommers has faced a lot of backlash from the Freedom Caucus. He’s supported by the more moderate, traditional Republican faction, the Wyoming Caucus.

In the 2023 legislative session, the Freedom Caucus was particularly upset by Sommers allowing several controversial bills die – something he could do as Speaker of the House. One was touted as a “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would’ve limited what can be talked about in public schools. Sommers said this type of teaching was not happening in Wyoming schools and it strips local control, plus he added that he believed it was unconstitutional. This received state and national condemnation from the Freedom Caucus.

In this year’s budget session, the Freedom Caucus had enough members in the House to circumvent Sommers’ leadership. They said they did so to try to curb government spending and “bring government policy more in line with conservative values.”

Bills introduced during a budget session need two-thirds support. That meant the Freedom Caucus was able to band together to prevent 13 committee bills from being introduced on day one of the session. This turned heads, because committee bills are typically a shoe-in. They are crafted by lawmakers over the previous year, usually after tedious hours of deliberation between stakeholders.

Then, as election campaigning heated up this summer, Sommers received more backlash from the Freedom Caucus. Political Action Committees (PACs) tied to the group sent out mailers accusing Sommers of aligning more with Democratic values. The mailers also made generalized statements that Sommers opposed things like property tax relief for all and Second Amendment rights. In response, Sommers sent out mailers saying it isn’t true and that he “sides with Cowboys, not [Washington] D.C. Bureaucrats.”

In an interview after the primaries were called, Sommers said the negativity this campaign cycle was particularly disheartening.

“I was hoping Wyoming would reject that negativity, but they didn’t. That seems to be a winning formula,” Sommers said. “By all accounts, that negativity flipped the Republicans in Idaho, and it flipped the Republicans in South Dakota, and now it, apparently, has flipped in Wyoming.”

But Sommers said even though he didn’t win the Senate seat, the silver lining was that he still won the majority of the vote in his home area – Sublette County.

“Those are the folks that know me. So I feel good about that,” he said.

Sommers reflected on his over a decade tenure in the Wyoming legislature. Standout lawmaking moments included passing budgets during years of financial crisis for the state – like when oil dropped in the stock market and COVID. Also, funding the Wyoming’s Tomorrow Scholarship and Wyoming Wildlife Natural Resources Trust Fund.

But, he also said he just likes serving the people. He will miss that.

“It doesn’t feel weird yet. It likely will feel weird come next January, when everybody’s gearing up to go to Cheyenne, and I’m not. But you know, life goes on,” Sommers said. “Life goes on.”

He added that he will probably use his extra time to go on more trips and get out on the water fishing. He’ll stay out of politics – for now.

“I never close the door on anything,” he said. “I don’t know that I would run again, but who knows?”

As for passing on the lawmaking torch? Mike Schmid, a LaBarge Republican, will take over Sommers’ House District 20 seat. Schmid is a first-timer in the legislature. While not endorsed by the Freedom Caucus, he aligns with them on many issues and has donated $1,000 to the group’s PAC.

Pearson, who beat Sommers, campaigned on being pro-gun, pro-life, anti-transgender rights, pro-limited government and restructuring the property tax system. In an interview post-primary results, she said she wants to be a transparent voice for the people.

“The people are the employers and they have a right to know what’s going on down there [in Cheyenne],” Pearson said. “So that’s what I want to bring home. I, until now, was their [lawmakers’] employer too.”

Meaning, she was a constituent until now, and not a politician. She said she only recently started testifying during public comment on bills. What got her interested was the events surrounding 2020.

“I believe that the 2020 election was stolen from President Trump,” she said. “Then during COVID, I didn’t feel like our state was protecting our citizens.”

Despite numerous challenges to states’ 2020 election results and investigations, there has been no evidence that there was fraud in that election.

Pearson recognized that it was a close race between her and Sommers. Many of her constituents are staunch Sommers’ supporters.

“We can talk civilly, and we can respect each other’s opinions, and we can agree on some things and not agree on others,” Pearson said. “But I’m here to represent the people. It doesn’t matter whether they’re far-right or not.”

Pearson will take over the Senate District 14 seat early next year from retiring Sen. Fred Baldwin (R-Kemmerer). Meanwhile, Sommers will step down from his House seat early next year.

DEVILS TOWER, Wyo. – Baseball-sized hail clobbered Devils Tower National Monument on Monday as a powerful supercell storm formed in northeast Wyoming.

The National Weather Service reported significant damage to trees, buildings, campers and vehicles caused by 2.75-inch hail and 54 mph wind. The extreme weather moved directly over the Bear Lodge Ranger District of the Black Hills near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County.

WATCH: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAUSES BOUNCE HOUSE TO GO AIRBORNE IN ALABAMA

The National Park Service closed Devils Tower due to storm damage. Park conditions were being reevaluated Wednesday morning.

Several traffic cones and a stop sign lay on the ground after being blown over in a hail storm.

(H. Valls, DETO / NPS Photo)

“We are open and cleaning up well,” Tim Davis, the owner of Devils Tower Trading Post, told FOX Weather.

Davis said his business sustained about 20 broken windows and extensive mud accumulation from the hail that fell in front of the store. A 30-foot American flag positioned outside was also torn and devoid of any remaining stars.

“Picnic tables flew out and landed in the parking lot,” he added. “Broken trees and all vegetation shredded.”

Here’s a look at the damage after the storm outside Devils Tower Trading Post on Monday.

(Devils Tower Trading Post)

The NWS said the supercell then tracked east through the Northern Black Hills and onto the plains of western South Dakota and continued to produce large hail, strong winds and heavy rain, before dissipating later in the evening, according to the National Weather Service.

The supercell then tracked eastward into Spearfish, South Dakota.

(Courtesy of Janice Wolfe via NWS)

Advertisement

Devils Tower is a geologic formation that rises out of the prairie near the Black Hills, according to NPS. It is considered sacred by the Northern Plains tribe and other indigenous people. The presence of hundreds of parallel cracks makes it one of the premier crack-climbing areas in North America.

Isolated thunderstorms are possible each day through Friday, the NWS said. A few of the storms may produce hail and strong winds. Critical fire weather conditions are expected Wednesday afternoon and evening across northeastern Wyoming and southwestern South Dakota.