Federal And Local Firefighters Battling Fire On Sage Grouse “Core Area”

Another fire has been burning in southwest Wyoming this week. Federal and local firefighters have been working hard to stop the blaze that is burning on "core sage grouse habitat" near Rock Springs.

Officials suspect that the fire was started by a lightening strike some time Tuesday afternoon. Since the fire began approximately 200 acres have burned on private and federal land. The location of the fire is about 45 miles from Rock Springs on what former Gover Dave Freudenthal designated as a "core area" of sage grouse habitat.

Sage grouse have been a continuing issue the last several months as their habitat has continued to dwindle. The decrease in sage grouse habitat has brought up debate over whether the sage grouse should be placed on the endangered species list.

The fire is now for the most part fully contained thanks to the help of eight fire engines and a hot shot crew.