6 structures burned, 500 evacuees as Casper Mountain fire spreads

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) _ A rapidly spreading wildfire has burned at least six structures and forced some 500 people to be evacuated from Casper Mountain.

Wyoming State Forester Bill Crapser says still more structures may have been lost to the Sheep Herder Hill Fire about 10 miles southeast of the Casper city limits.

The fire began Sunday afternoon and winds quickly fanned the blaze to more than seven square miles.

More than 150 homes and cabins remain evacuated Monday. Crapser estimates about three-quarters are year-round homes and the rest are seasonal cabins.

Nine families that fled are staying at the Parkway Plaza Hotel in Casper. The Red Cross says it may open a shelter for evacuees.

Dry, windy weather has prompted the National Weather Service to put all of Wyoming under a wildfire alert.

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