Growing & Not Contained, Moonshine Fire Update
Wyoming's Moonshine Fire is elusive, probably because of the rough terrain. The fire is located 17 miles southwest of Wheatland, Wyoming, in Albany County, in the Laramie Range.
Here is the latest as of Thursday morning, 09/10/26.
MOONSHINE INCIDENT
Type: WF - Wildfire
Area Acres Burned: 2,700
Percent Contained: 0%
The following information is from the Moonshine Fire Facebook page, which you can follow at this link.
START DATE
September 7, 2026
LOCATION
The Moonshine Fire is burning in Albany County, Wyoming, in the Laramie Range, roughly 17 miles southwest of Wheatland. It is currently burning in timber that is difficult to access. As the firefighting efforts continue, additional firefighting crews and aircraft are being ordered to assist with the response.
A Wyoming Type 3 Incident Management Team has arrived and is taking over coordination of the fire. The team will work with the firefighters and local departments already responding to the incident, as well as stakeholders.
WEATHER
Dry conditions are expected through the end of the week alongside breezy winds promoting critical fire weather conditions. A Red Flag Warning is in effect for Wednesday and Thursday due to these conditions alongside poor overnight recoveries, with a chance this may need to be extended further on Thursday as winds become more widespread. Over the weekend, monsoonal moisture will return to help alleviate these problematic conditions through early next week.
Moonshine Fire information number: (307) 295-2770
Moonshine Fire email address: 2026.moonshine@firenet.gov
Two small-ish firefighting airplanes made a low buzz over Cheyenne, Wyoming, Wednesday afternoon and landed for refueling. They are helping to fight the Moonshine fire near Wheatland, Wyoming.
A Facebook page has been started to update folks on the fire. Find it at this link.
Moonshine Fire began 2 miles NE of Government Peak Rd at Tunnel Rd, Wheatland, Platte & Albany Counties, WY. The latest reports as of Wednesday afternoon show that it has grown to 1300 acres.
The Moonshine Fire is currently burning in Albany County, west of Wheatland and within the general area of the Sybille Fire Zone.
You usually see planes like these as cropdusters. But here they are fitted with floats, and the belly tank is for water or fire retardant.
The fire was reported Monday evening and has grown rapidly under windy, dry conditions.
Multiple resources from ACVFD Sybille Fire Zone, Albany County, Platte County, BLM, USFS, and Wyoming State Forestry are engaged in the response, with talk of additional aircraft, hand crews, and a Type 3 Incident Management Team being ordered.
These planes are with Dauntless Air, a firefighting team from New Mexico.
It's a long climb up, dragging that hose, to fill those wing tanks.
Sybille Fire Zone is monitoring the incident and coordinating as needed with cooperating agencies. Please be aware that conditions can change quickly, particularly with the current wind and dry conditions.
State land managed by the State Forestry agency is currently impacted by the incident, which began on September 7, 2026, due to a natural cause. A total of 122 personnel are assigned to the Type 4 Incident, operating under a Type 4 Incident Commander, with zero percent containment achieved so far.
I know it doesn't look like a jet, but that plane takes jet fuel. It's called a turboprop. A jet engine that uses its hot expanding gases to turn a propeller instead of pushing the plane with jet exhaust alone.
Several wildfire maps are available online. Here is one that lets you zoom in and see the latest details on the fire, including efforts to fight it. Follow this link.
If you plan on camping or doing any outdoor burning anywhere in Wyoming, please consult with your county on current fire restrictions. Most camping areas across the state have fire restrictions in place until further notice.
The Casper/Natrona County International Airport is enjoying its upgraded firefighting planes.
Nobody likes a summer fire, but it does keep the airport busy with interesting water bombers coming and going.
The airport has been posting photos and videos of these fantastic planes on its Facebook page.
For several years, the two firefighting planes would arrive for fire season and park in a temporary area on the east corner of the airport.
They would run a long hose from a fire hydrant to a holding tank to refill the planes for another fire run.
Yes, the big boys have found a new home in central Wyoming.
While stationed in Casper, these serious firefighting machines have a long range and can fight across several states.
Before the new facilities she built at the fire season's end, they would pack up and go home.
Now, for some of these planes, Casper is home.
Now, they have a permanent base at the airport, and they no longer need to run a long hose to a fire hydrant.
After six years of planning, designing, and construction, the Airport grounds are now the home base for a new BLM Single Engine Air Tankers (SEAT) and Large Air Tankers (LAT) Base.
HOLD ON- what is a SEAT and LAT base?
It's a base that loads firefighting aircraft with anything they need, from water to chemicals, to fight fires. That's the simplest, nontechnical explanation there is.
Below is the new cover photo for the Casper/Natrona County Airport.
The facility was constructed in Collaboration with BLM, Wyoming State Forestry Division, and U.S. Forest Service.
It is the only base in the country jointly built by the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service.
Below is an exciting video of a firefighting plane from Casper in action.
Casper is also the exclusive home to two SEAT planes, contracted by the Wyoming State Forestry Division.
The modernized base now has the ability to load two planes (SEAT and/or LAT) at the same time with a maximum daily output of 80,000–90,000 gallons of mixed retardant compared to the previous 15,000-gallon output.
Future plans include the construction of a new heli-base adjacent to the SEAT/LAT base for the State Forestry Division.
Weird Fireworks Names You'll Find In Wyoming
Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods