Fire Destroys House East of Casper; Occupants Are Safe

UPDATE: 

Nine hours ago, a GoFundMe was created for the family whose house was consumed by fire last night. The fundraiser description reads:

"Hi, my name is Erin and last night we got news that no family wants to hear, my sister in law and her family lost everything they had in a house fire. She and her husband were at work. Her mother and father in law lived with her, and they were home at the time and made it out of the house before the fire took over. She also has several animals (dogs, cat, horses, chickens and cows) that live inside and outside the house, most made it out but they did lose 1 dog and cat. Anything you could do to help out would be greatly appreciated, they need everything from clothes and shoes to dog food and a hotel while they figure out the next steps of this devastating process."

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE GOFUNDME PAGE.

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A fire destroyed a house and high winds blew embers causing several small fires east of Casper Saturday evening, according to a news release from the Natrona County Fire District on Sunday.

No injuries were reported and two occupants were able to exit the home on North Park Avenue off Cole Creek Road before nine agencies arrived.

The Red Cross helped the displaced occupants and they received a check from the Natrona County Burn Fund.

Approximately 5:30 p.m., the Natrona County Fire District responded to numerous calls about smoke and flames coming through the roof of the house.

Fire crews entered the house, tried to find its location and began to suppress it.

However, the fire had spread throughout the attic and made interior suppression arduous.

The fire and heat intensified because of the wind, the crews left the building, and changed tactics from a defensive to an offensive attack.

The National Weather Service reported the average wind speed at the time was 25.7 mph, the highest wind speed was 44 mph, and the highest gust speed was 60 mph.

The fire broke through the roof and the wind blew embers to a nearby field causing small spot wildland fires.

Natrona County Sheriff's deputies and neighbors began to dig a line to try to contain those fires, and brush units went to the scene.

The spot fires were contained to less than half an acre.

Crews continued fighting the fire into the night.

No water lines were near the fire, so fire engines used a water shuttle operation to bring water from the nearest hydrant 6.3 miles away at Lat Lake Driver and Cole Creek Road.

That trip took about 30 minutes from the fire to the hydrant and back.

Casper Fire-EMS Inspector Mark Graff is investigating the incident, and the cause is unknown at the time of the press release.

Authorities may release information about the cause at a later date.

Other responding agencies were the Casper Public Safety Communications Center, the Evansville Fire-EMS Department, Casper Fire-EMS, Bar Nunn Fire Department, Banner Health - Wyoming Medical Center, and Rocky Mountain Power.