Wyoming wildfire forces hundreds of evacuations

An evacuation center was set up at Casper College.

Climate changes affecting Western states in recent years have caused the fire season to start earlier and last longer, fire managers have said.

The local Red Cross is asking people to donate shovels and rakes to help victims search the remains of their homes for any valuables.

That fire and the one in Idaho, which has blackened an estimated 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) in the southwest part of the state, are believed to have been caused by humans but investigations are ongoing, authorities said.

Natrona County Fire Marshall Bob Fawcett said the flames spread into a thinly populated area and a rural subdivision. He was able to rescue two dogs and a horse before smoke forced him out of the area.

Almost 130 firefighters are battling the blaze. Around 10 homes and several other structures have been destroyed. Air tankers dumped retardant on the fire while helicopters dipped water from the nearby North Platte River.

-A fire burned 13 square miles of grassland and threatened about 50 homes and ranches near the southern Montana town of Manhattan. Warm, dry weather will continue through the weekend with rain likely no sooner than next Tuesday, Allen said.

The devastation aggravated due to Cole Creek hearth impacted more often 15 sq kilometers of grass, south east of Casper, near Evansville.

Overnight Monday, cool temperatures helped firefighters in the Casper area regain ground lost to a wind-driven flare-up the previous afternoon.

“There are a lot of hazards after a fire like this, we just urge everybody to be aware of the dangers and to be careful”, said Fawcett.