News – Sheridan Media
Everyone remembers the monumental fires of 2024, the Elk Fire, the Deer Creek, Remington and House Draw fires swept through many areas of Sheridan and Johnson County. Throughout Wyoming in 2024, there were 2,021 fires burning a total of 850,425 acres.
To keep homes and properties safer from wildfires, the Sheridan County Fuels Mitigation Program works to education landowners about ways to protect homes and property against wild-land fires.
They are currently accepting applications for enrollment from interested landowners within Sheridan County that have property in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) This is the area where human infrastructure meets wildland fuels.
Paul Wright, Fuels Mitigation Coordinator for Sheridan County Fuels Mitigation Program, talked about the cost-share program in Sheridan County.
Wright is contracted to Sheridan County to administrate the program.
He had some tips on how landowners could help to reduce the fire danger on their properties.
One thing landowners can do is to break up the continuity of the fuels by creating space between tree branches and other plants and shrubbery on the ground, both on the horizontal plane but also on the vertical plane.
Their program offers reimbursement funding for certain activities landowners can do, but there are certain criteria to obtain the funding. He had more suggestions that landowners could do to protect their homes and outbuildings.
He added that homeowners should make sure the vents on the house are screened to make sure the embers can’t get into the attic. These are not part of the cost-share program but are something to consider.
Many rural residents have propane tanks for heating fuel, and clearing the vegetation away from the tank, or create a rocks or gravel ‘apron’ around the tank, but keep it free of weeds so they won’t be a fire hazard. He said they are available to come and talk to homeowners about what they can do to reduce the fire danger.
For more information on this topic, go to https://www.sheridancountywy.gov/ and scroll down to learn more about the Fuels Mitigation program. One can also contact Paul Wright, 307-683-3370, or email scdefensiblespace@gmail.com
There are also newsletters placed in many post offices around the county. The newsletter addressed other safety precautions, such as avoiding using lawn equipment on hot, dry, windy days. Have an evacuate plan and take care when planning to do any burning in the summer months.
More Like this
Last modified: June 21, 2025