GILLETTE, Wyo. – A fast moving wildfire that started Thursday has shut down I-90 between Buffalo and Gillette in northeast Wyoming.
The Horse Draw Fire has burned more than 5,000 acres and displaced about 10 families according to an emergency management coordinator.
The Cowboy State Daily has reported the fire started around 11 a.m. or noon Wednesday south of Buffalo near Crook Road.
Johnson County Emergency Management Coordinator Jimmy Cataline said high winds fanned the flames flames across the dry fields. Pushing northeast, the fire grew rapidly and crossed over Interstate 90 toward Deer Creek. That led to the closure of the Interstate between Gillette and Buffalo.
Authorities gave evacuation orders, with Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies, Buffalo police officers and Bureau of Land Management rangers visiting homes door-to-door to deliver the message.
A shelter is now open at the Bomber Mountain Civic Center in downtown Buffalo.
Johnson County Fire, Powder River Fire, Buffalo Fire, Story Fire and BLM Fire all are responding to fight the blaze
