The fire started on Saturday, Sept. 1, just over Oyster Ridge on the east side of town, and it didn't take long for residents to notice the large plumes of smoke rising above the sagebrush.
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Kemmerer and BLM firefighters work to extinguish a hotspot on the Oyster Ridge fire on Sept. 1. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)
It's been warm, dry and windy in Lincoln County — the perfect recipe for a fire.
Several wildfires are raging across the western states, but the Oyster Ridge Fire that burned over Labor Day weekend was a little too close for comfort for Kemmerer and Diamondville residents.
The fire started on Saturday, Sept. 1, just over Oyster Ridge on the east side of town, and it didn't take long for residents to notice the large plumes of smoke rising above the sagebrush.
(GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)
Public and private lands were damaged by the fire, which was contained by firefighting crews on Sunday, Sept. 2.
The Kemmerer Fire Department and firefighters from the Bureau of Land Management worked over the weekend to contain the blaze as hotspots continued to pop up in areas along the ridge.
In addition to the fire crews on the ground, two planes dropped fire retardant on the area on Saturday afternoon.
Calls to representatives from the Kemmerer BLM office and the Kemmerer Fire Department have not been returned yet.
The Gazette will continue to update this story with a total of acreage burned by the Oyster Ridge Fire.
The Oyster Ridge Fire burned over Labor Day weekend. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)
(GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)
(GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)
(GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)
(GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)
(GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)
A plane drops fire retardant on the fire on Oyster Ridge on Saturday, Sept. 1. (COURTESY PHOTO / Owen Burnett)
