WHEATLAND, WY — The Moonshine Fire, which ignited more than a week ago in the rugged brush of the central Laramie Range, is now 51% contained after burning 7,304 acres. The blaze, the second‑largest wildfire in Wyoming this year, has been steadily brought under control thanks to coordinated ground and aerial efforts.
Containment gains and weather help
Fire officials reported that recent heavy rains on Sunday and cooler temperatures on Tuesday have limited the fire’s growth to just a few hundred acres. “Lower temperatures have moderated fire activity across the footprint,” the latest incident report said, noting that light smoke remains in sheltered interior pockets but overall fire behavior has decreased.
Progress on the ground
Crews have made measurable progress constructing control lines and securing additional containment each shift. “Operations on the incident continue to progress smoothly and effectively,” firefighters wrote in a Wednesday morning update posted to the fire’s official Facebook page. Early in the blaze, the fire exploded to over 2,000 acres and was only 25% contained by day two, but steady effort has now pushed containment past the halfway mark.
Shift in tactics
With the fire’s northern edge now the focus, teams are completing structure assessments and finalizing protection plans on the northwest side. Work on the northeast perimeter will transition to mop‑up and suppression repair, and incident managers will keep a committed organization of tactical, response, and repair resources ready for any new starts.
Looking ahead
Officials expect to begin scaling back operations in the next few days, removing some personnel and equipment as the fire’s growth slows. However, strong storms are forecast for the night, bringing the potential for wind, lightning and additional rainfall, which could make firefighting conditions variable.
Residents can follow updates on the Moonshine Fire Information Facebook page for the latest information.
Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.
