Moonshine Fire Spreads Across Albany County Near Wheatland

Suddenly, folks in Wheatland, Wyoming, looked out and saw smoke. It has been named the Moonshine Fire.

Moonshine Fire: 500 acres, 0% containment, 2 miles NE of Government Peak Rd at Tunnel Rd, Wheatland, Platte & Albany Counties, WY.

The Moonshine Fire is currently burning in Albany County, west of Wheatland and within the general area of the Sybille Fire Zone.

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.

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.

north american p-51 mustang — Photo by Filippos Sdralias on Unsplash

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.

There are several wildfire maps across the internet. Here is one that allows you to zoom in and get 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.

Photo By Tim Mandese, Focus West Photography

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.