Fire Rages Near South High

A fire fighter pulls a hose while trying to put out a grass fire east of Cheyennes South High School Sunday afternoon. The blaze charred the grassy area between South and Triumph High School and close College Drive for about on hour. To view more images from the fire check out http://shutterspeed.wyomingnews.com.

Courtesy of Mike Smith, WTE

A fire fighter pulls a hose while trying to put out a grass fire east of Cheyenne’s South High School Sunday afternoon. The blaze charred the grassy area between South and Triumph High School and close College Drive for about on hour. To view more images from the fire check out http://shutterspeed.wyomingnews.com.

Staff

On a dry, windy Wyoming day, a fire burned several fields near Triumph High School and South High School on Sunday.  The fires, located just north of College Drive, burned several acres, according to the local fire department.

According to Dillon Conner, assistant chief for Laramie County Fire District 1, two separate fires were reported about 1:20 p.m.

“It just grew from there,” he said, in an interview with www.wyomingnews.com, adding that the fires later combined to become one larger one. “The high temperatures and low humidity really played a factor in it as it really took off.”

The source of the fire is still being investigated, but the scorched land clearly shows the damage. Blackened ground runs to nearly both high schools, as well as near several homes.

“It did get close to South High and Triumph High,” Conner said. “But due to defensive measures of cutting the grass very short, that kept the fire from reaching them.”

Dave Bartlett, superintendent of support operations for Laramie County School District 1, confirmed that the fire did not damage the schools.

The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that Laramie County Fire District 2, Cheyenne Fire and Rescue and crews from the Wyoming Air National Guard and F.E. Warren Air Force Base assisted in putting out the fire.