Neiber Fire Near Worland Now Over 17,600 Acres in Size, 30% Contained

A wildfire that began south of Worland on Tuesday has once again grown by thousands of acres overnight and the containment estimate has fallen for a second straight day.

The Neiber Fire is now estimated at 17,606 acres in size and is 30% contained, a 10% decrease since Tuesday. Fire managers now expect it to be fully contained by 12 a.m. Saturday.

Some 200 firefighters in total are assigned to the blaze, which is burning in grass and brush about seven miles south of Worland. The cause is unknown.

A Wyoming Type 3 team assumed command of the fire Wednesday.

Fire crews have had to contend with hot, dry and windy conditions, as well as difficult terrain, since the fire began. It was first estimated at 2,000 acres in size on Tuesday.

Over the next two days, fire managers expect the blaze to continue moving southeast due to terrain and winds.

The firefighting is an interagency effort between the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the Worland Fire Protection District.