THERMOPOLIS — The Red Canyon Fire near Thermopolis, Wyo., has reached 75% containment Monday, with crews now shifting into patrol and mop-up operations.
Before that, one family fought to save their property as firefighters started to take on the blaze.
Jennifer and Chip Axtell described the terrifying sound of the approaching wildfire on Aug. 13 after a lightning bolt struck.
Watch Jennifer and Chip talk about the Red Canyon Fire:
“It's like a scream,” Jennifer Axtell said Sunday. “A wind and a crackling, and a rolling all at once.”
The Axtells immediately jumped into action to save their land.
“Until the fire crews could get here, we were able to do what we could,” Chip said.
Their neighbors also joined the effort, bringing more manpower to battle the advancing flames.
“We had two tractors, about three vehicles full of people. I had my water tank in the back of my truck,” Chip said.
The Axtells and other residents of the area worked to cut fire lines to prevent the fire from spreading to additional areas.
“The next day we just went to a different place where the fire was threatening. And we cut fire lines around where it was coming to,” Chip said.
Wind conditions played a crucial role in determining the fire’s direction.
“We were successful in stopping that from coming any further this direction. And it was definitely with help from the wind,” Chip said.
Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Incident Commander Jay Mickey said that crews have established containment lines around the fire perimeter.
Firefighting efforts have transitioned into repair mode as conditions continue to improve across the area.
“Dozer lines and areas of the fire where it's cooled off and we feel like we can repair as close back to normal as it was before the fire started,” Mickey said.
The fire has affected thousands of acres of grasslands where many people have ranches.
“This fire affected a lot of the ranchers and obviously grass is very important to them for their cattle operations and things like that,” Mickey said.
The Axtells continued their ranching operation by ensuring their cattle is okay.
“We spent this last Thursday and Saturday processing our calves and running them through the corral, and making sure they were okay,” C. Axtell said.
The couple expressed gratitude for their neighbor’s support and acknowledged others who are faced with greater loss.
“Everyone just pulled together, you know, and worked really hard,” J. Axtell said,
