Campers should be careful when starting campfires

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - The National Weather Service (NWS) has a red flag fire warning is scheduled for Friday in Eastern Wyoming.

This means there is a high risk of fire according to NWS Cheyenne meteorologist Brandon Wills. He said it will be hot, dry and windy.

He said starting a campfire is not a good idea Friday but campers who do need to put it out completely.

“We can’t tell people what to do but that’s why we message it as ‘strongly discouraged’ just because you want to keep in mind not just the safety of yourself but you want to keep in mind the safety of any type of emergency response that might have to get involved in the events of a wildfire occurring,” Wills said.

Friday’s conditions should make it easy for fire to spread quickly so people should also refrain from throwing lit cigarette butts on the ground and keep car chains from hitting the road.

“We ask folks to pay attention and heed any type of messaging that we put out because we are on a mission to protect life and property and we want to make sure that everybody stays safe,” Wills said.

He said the region is entering a La Nina pattern, which is leading to unseasonably dry conditions.

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