A wildfire ignited near Casper Friday, prompting evacuations of rural homes amid windy and unusually hot conditions.

The blaze, dubbed the Sandpiper Fire, struck a rural residential area of Natrona County northeast of Casper. Sheriff’s deputies went door-to-door advising residents to evacuate, according to Natrona County Emergency Management.

The fire was reported about 2:45 p.m. Within a half hour, authorities had advised residents living along Castle Stone Drive, Stonewood Street and Ridgeview Road to evacuate. At 4:10 p.m., county emergency management also announced evacuation advisories for South Park Road.

Just before 5 p.m., the emergency management office announced a key road into the area would be opened to local residents, but warned the fire was still burning amid erratic winds in excess of 35 mph. “Hot spots are flaring up and firefighters are still working to knockdown,” the office reported. 

The Sandpiper Fire burns Friday, March 20, 2026, northeast of Casper. (Sarah Purdy)

A witness reported a plane dropping what appeared to be fire retardant over the area shortly after 5 p.m. 

About 50 acres had burned as of late Friday afternoon, according to a map posted by the National Interagency Fire Center. 

Buoyed by strong winds, the fire traveled east, away from the Casper area and toward Converse County.

The fire came at a time of year when central Wyoming is often hit by major snowstorms. Instead, the region this winter has experienced record-high temperatures, with thermometers reaching 81 degrees in Casper on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service office in Riverton. That’s the first recorded 80-degree temperature in March for the city. Temperatures rose to about 80 degrees again on Friday.

Central Wyoming also experienced an unusually dry winter. Areas without snow cover are particularly susceptible to fast-growing wildfires, the Bureau of Land Management’s statewide office warned Wednesday.

Fires have already ignited this winter in other parts of Wyoming including the 175-acre Little Crazy Woman Fire near Buffalo and the 2,542-acre Porcupine Creek Fire near Wright.

In neighboring Nebraska, four wildfires have charred more than 800,000 acres so far this year. 

WyoFile reporter Mike Koshmrl contributed to this article.

Joshua Wolfson serves as managing editor for WyoFile. He lives in Casper. Contact him at josh@wyofile.com.

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