Authorities in Laramie County ordered the evacuation of residents living near F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne on Thursday morning.

A notice sent out just after 10 a.m. stated residents living along the base’s east side should evacuate due to a “suspicious package” reported at Gate 1. 

The latest message from the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office ordered residents on the east side of the base up to McComb Avenue, Country Club Avenue and down to Cosgriff Court to evacuate. “Local Law Enforcement is in the area working to resolve this situation,” the message stated. 

“What I know right now is that a package was left by the visitor center, and so the base is — their security posture is trying to identify what’s going on and make sure that it’s not something that would be a challenge,” Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins told WyoFile at 9:47 a.m.

“I did speak with [emergency management coordinators] just a minute ago, and I did speak with people on the base, and they have the situation under control.”

Collins said he did not have further details about the ongoing evacuation order.

The Wyoming Capitol was also evacuated Thursday morning, Gov. Mark Gordon’s spokesperson told WyoFile.

Laramie County School District 1 said in an email to media shortly before 11 a.m. that none of the district’s schools are evacuating at this time “at the recommendation of law enforcement.”

F.E. Warren Air Force Base houses the 90th Missile Wing. In 1958, F.E. Warren became the nation’s first operational Intercontinental Ballistic Missile base, according to an official fact sheet. The ICBM program is on full alert 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The Laramie County Combined Communications Center posted on Facebook following the initial message telling residents that the evacuation was a “safety precaution” and urging them not to panic. 

Authorities closed exit 11 from I-25 southbound due to police activity at the base, the post said. The message urged residents not to call 911 for more information, stating that there weren’t more details at the time. 

A 1,850-foot cordon was established around Gate 1, according to the combined communications center. Authorities ordered people in several buildings to shelter in place. The post said parents aren’t authorized to pick up kids and directed people to use Gate 5 for entering and exiting until further notice.

Laramie County officials sent out several notices within a half hour of one another offering contradictory information at times. The first, sent at 9:31 a.m., ordered the evacuation of residents within one mile of the base. 

A second automated text message was sent out at 9:44 a.m., reading: “EVACUATION EVACUATION EVACUATION ALL RESIDENTS ALONG the west side of the base, between Randall and Pershing. Additional to follow.”

Another automated text message sent at 10:07 a.m. said: “Laramie [County] Alter: CORRECTION Suspicious package reported at FEWAFB Gate 1. UPDATE Evacuation is for residents on east side of base up to McComb Ave, and down to Cosgriff Ct. Residents in this area must evacuate temporarily until notified.”

This is a breaking story and may be updated.

Maya Shimizu Harris covers public safety for WyoFile. She was previously a freelance writer and the state politics reporter for the Casper Star-Tribune.

Dustin Bleizeffer covers energy and climate at WyoFile. He has worked as a coal miner, an oilfield mechanic, and for more than 25 years as a statewide reporter and editor primarily covering the energy...

Leave a comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *