Wyoming wildfire destroys eight structures near Utah border


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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Wyoming — A 1,252-acre wildfire has destroyed eight structures and is burning mostly on private lands 15 miles south of this Wyoming town near the Utah border, fire officials said.

The Tokewanna fire was 5 percent contained as of Saturday evening, according to a news release from the Bureau of Land Management's Wyoming High Desert District.

The fire is burning in grasses, mixed conifer timber stands and pine beetle-weakened trees. Crews and air tankers are working to contain the fire.

One firefighter suffered from burns Friday but was in stable condition after being transported to a hospital in Salt Lake City, according to the BLM.

One of the structures lost was a cabin that belonged to Laurie Lafferty. She and her husband, Jim, live in the cabin year-round after moving there from Idaho.

"I’m heartbroken; I’m sick," Laurie Lafferty said. "I lost everything. We lost everything. We had less than five minutes to get out."

The Laffertys said they smelled smoke earlier this week but couldn't find where it was coming from. When Jim Lafferty went outside, he saw smoke rising behind the cabin.

The couple quickly called the police. When officers came to the cabin, the Laffertys were told to leave the cabin immediately.

Laurie Lafferty grabbed her cat and dog, locked the door of the cabin and left as the flames began to burn around the edges of the property.

"That was all I had a chance to get," she said.

The couple is camping in a trailer nearby, waiting for the all-clear so they can return and examine their charred property.

"But everybody’s safe and that’s all that counts," Laurie Lafferty said. "Crying about it and being upset isn’t going to bring anything back. I’m gonna rebuild."

Other families living in cabins in the area are offering help to the couple.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

ContributingL Ashton Goodell

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