EUREKA - Fire crews are fighting the East Fork Fire south of Eureka and are working hard to protect critical infrastructure as the fire moves to the east.
The main concern with the fire at this point is the possibility of it reaching power lines that supply 6,000 service meters between the Canadian border to north of Whitefish.
“So right now the fire is like four, maybe five miles from that corridor. And we're looking at tonight, you know, the concern is this evening winds up to maybe 30 miles per hour, could push the fire toward the east,” said Wyoming Incident Management Team Public Information Officer Russell Hubright.
The safety of firefighters and people affected by the fire is at the top of everyone's list. If the fire gets close enough to the power lines, areial attack crews need to be and the power will need to be shut off.
“You know, we'll give as much notice as we can. Bonneville [Power Administration] feels like they need about an hour's notice. And if that's what we can give, we'll get that if we feel like we can get more we will. We'll just do the best we can to keep information flowing,” said Lincoln Electric Co-Op General Manager Telly Stanger.
People who use the Lincoln Electric Cooperative should be prepared for a power outage, but at this point, there is no need to panic or stockpile supplies.
“Now that becomes a problem, you know, for all the folks who are trying to keep their stores in stock, right? So get enough like you normally do maybe an extra little supply or something like that, but there's no reason to act like you're gonna be out with that power for months or something like that,” said Hubright.
Updates will be posted on the Lincoln Electric Cooperative website as well as on Facebook.
