NASA’s Aqua satellite detected heat signatures and smoke from the Badger Creek Fire burning in southern Wyoming on the Colorado line.
The Incident Information System noted on June 11 at 11:30 p.m. MDT that the Badger Creek Fire had covered 5,244 acres. The fire began on Sunday June 10, 2018 at approximately 3 p.m. and the cause is under investigation.
This natural color image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer that flies aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite was taken on June 12. The red areas indicate hot spots, or fires. Smoke appears as a light brown color. In the image, a large plume of smoke extends from the Badger Creek fire to the east.
The fire is being fueled by timber. It is located in the Snowy Range, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming. The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland cover nearly 2.9 million acres from north central Colorado to central and northeastern Wyoming.
Inciweb noted evacuations were issued: “Albany County Officials have issued evacuation orders for the communities of Mountain Home, Wyocolo, Wold Tract, Foxpark, Gramm, Beehive, Miller Lake, and the areas along Highway 10 from Woods Landing south to the Colorado state line. This includes Woods Landing, New Jelm, and Jelm. Currently, there are 510 properties included in the evacuation area, with 393 homes. Pre-evacuation orders are in place for the community of Foxborough. As a precaution, natural gas and electrical service to Woods Landing has been shut down. Firefighters are engaged in structure protection in all affected communities as this remains the highest priority for resources. It is also advised by the Forest Service that all dispersed campers near the fire area relocate to other areas of the Forest.”
For updates on the Badger Creek fire, visit: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5836/
For information from the Medicine Bow National Forest, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/mbr
NASA image courtesy NASA Worldview/MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Rob Gutro