565 acres burned in Cheyenne grass fire; no major injuries

CHEYENNE (WNE) — In the aftermath of a wind-driven grass fire fanned by gusts topping 75 mph south of Cheyenne on Wednesday, local emergency officials say they feel grateful that everyone is safe and back in their undamaged homes.

The report of a fire east of Interstate 25 came around 4:25 p.m. Wednesday, and around 120 emergency responders were on the scene to battle the blaze and offer logistics support.

Firefighters were on the scene almost immediately, said Aaron Veldheer, Laramie County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy, thanks to Laramie County Fire District 1 having a station on Terry Ranch Road, about two miles from the scene.

The fire — believed to have been caused by a spark from a power line — spread far and fast over 565 acres, Veldheer said. This is due to the strong winds sweeping through the area all day Wednesday.

At the time of the fire, Tyler Thomas, a National Weather Service Cheyenne meteorologist, said the sustained wind speed was 55-60 mph, with gusts of 75-77 mph. 

The fire burned right up to the yards of many houses in the Winchester Hills neighborhood, said Ben Hopkins, Laramie County Fire District 1 interim assistant chief, but the only damaged property was a greenhouse, which Veldheer said is almost completely destroyed. 

“A lot of the grass out there is really short,” Hopkins said. “The property owners have kept stuff around their house really, really short. And some places had gravel all around, which really helped.”

No residents or pets were injured, Veldheer said, but there were several firefighters with minor injuries. 

“We’re very blessed that nobody died,” he said. “Everybody that did evacuate, while panicked, did it very efficiently and orderly.”

Veldheer said the fire was contained by 6:30 p.m. and put out by 7:30 p.m. Residents in the area were able to return to their homes around 8:30 p.m.

This story was published on Dec. 19, 2025.