Five suspicious fires started on the Medicine Bow-Routt and Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests from July 15-26 have prompted the U.S. Forest Service to ask the public to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity on public lands in southeast Wyoming and northern Colorado.

The Forest Service says in a news release that most of the suspicious fires were set near Laramie. Fire crews extinguished flames near Fox Park, Centennial, Commissary Park, Happy Jack Ski Hill and Stub Creek, south of Woods Landing.

Investigators would like to speak with anyone who has specific information on how the fires may have started. Anyone with information about the recent fires or fires that may start in the future can contact Law Enforcement Officer Hannah Nadeau at 307-343-2335.

The Forest Service reiterates basic fire safety rules for anyone on public lands:

  • Scrape back dead grass and forest materials from your campfire site.
  • Keep your campfire small and under control; make it only as big as you need it.
  • Keep a shovel and water container nearby to douse escaped embers.
  • Put your campfire dead out before leaving your campsite or going to sleep.
  • Do not park vehicles in tall, dry grass, since hot tailpipes can cause fine fuels to catch on fire.
  • Remember that any ignition -- cigarettes, campfires, gunfire, vehicles -- could be the cause of a wildland fire, as grass and other vegetation is dry and extremely flammable.
  • Always follow current fire restrictions.
  • Fireworks are not allowed on federal lands.
  • State I fire restrictions currently exist on the Thunder Basin National Grassland.

Also under investigation is the cause of the Beaver Creek Fire. The blaze was last reported at over 30,000 acres in size; it has been burning since June 19.

Wildfires can be reported to interagency dispatch centers. Casper Dispatch for the Medicine Bow National Forest and Thunder Basin National Grassland can be reached at 307-261-7691, and he Craig Dispatch Center covering the Routt National Forest can be reached at 970-826-5037.

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