Region 51 emergency management reports multiple fires; county requests continued vigilance

Joanna Lemoine, deputy director for Region 51 Emergency Management, updated the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on a string of wildland fires the county and neighboring areas experienced the prior week.

Lemoine said the county and mutual-aid partners responded to multiple incidents, including a burn pile that re-ignited and burned roughly 50 acres in a canyon southeast of town, and a larger south-of-Maxwell wildfire she estimated at 600—700 acres that started when workers cutting trees with chainsaws sparked fire. She said several incidents were in steep canyon country that complicated ground response.

Air support was requested for one fire but could not be fully mobilized because contract pilots were attending an industry convention; pilots are not permitted to fly after sunset, so late-afternoon starts limited the ability to use fixed-wing air tankers before dark. Lemoine said the Maxwell-area blaze received one full load and a partial load drop that helped bring it under control. She said crews "mopped up" through the evening.

Lemoine said some smaller grass fires and burn pile incidents were contained quickly by local responders and did not require extended mutual aid. She noted the county was preparing and coordinating additional paperwork (a Form 209) to send to the Rocky Mountain coordination center for the larger Maxwell-area incident and said county staff would finish documentation with a local fire chief's signature before submission.

Commissioners thanked Lemoine for real-time updates and noted a winter storm was expected the next day; Lemoine said preparations were underway and she needed to return to regional duties.

Ending Lemoine urged continued caution for open burns and said documentation and mutual-aid coordination were ongoing; commissioners thanked staff for their response and confirmed the county would continue to monitor fire weather and resource availability.