Fire Weather Alert: Red Flag Warning for Casper, Several Counties

People in Casper and parts of several other Wyoming counties need to be especially careful with sparks and open flames Tuesday -- or avoid them entirely -- as weather conditions are shaping up to be especially conducive to new fire starts and erratic fire behavior.

The National Weather Service in Riverton posted a red flag warning for much of Natrona County, including Casper, as well as parts of eight other counties. The warning is in effect from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Southwest winds of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph along with humidities as low as 10 percent and temperatures in the upper 70s will make for a combination of conditions that can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

Meanwhile, a lightning-caused 10,000-acre wildfire is burning in grass and sagebrush in Johnson County, and a fire listed at just under 600 acres continues west of Cody, near Wapiti.