Wildfire in Upper Green River Basin Foothills, Wyoming

The Roosevelt Fire began as a campfire that was left unattended and spread to eventually burned over 61,000 acres in Lincoln and Sublette Counties. The fire was reported by a father and son hunting party on September 15th in the Wyoming Range. They attempted to escape but were forced to jump into a creek. They suffered burns and had to be airlifted to a burn unit in Salt Lake City. Fueled by warm temperatures, gusty to strong winds and low humidity, the fire than progressed eastward and prompted evacuations of residential areas northwest of Pinedale. The worst damage was at the Hoback Ranch subdivision where 55 of the 150 homes were destroyed. The fire also prompted the closure of US 189 / 191 three times due to firefighting efforts. At the fire's peak, 1175 personal were on scene. One fire fighter also injuries while fighting the fire. The total cost of fighting the fire was over $23 million dollars. The fire continued into October. Please see October for the conclusion of this event.