As Western wildfires are getting bigger, one small town volunteer is fighting back
toggle caption Chris Clements/Wyoming Public Radio
Wildfires in the western U.S. have been growing larger in recent years.
That includes Wyoming. In 2024, the state had its worst fire season in decades. Wyoming's Republican governor, Mark Gordon, told state lawmakers it was "one of the most challenging fire seasons in Wyoming's history."
Small towns like Pine Haven, near the border with South Dakota and Montana, rely on a network of volunteers with limited resources to battle the sometimes-deadly blazes.
Pine Haven, population 565, is nestled next to the jade-green waters of Keyhole Reservoir.
Pine trees tower over restaurants, a post office and the local fire hall, where volunteer Fire Chie
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