White Draw Fire Brings Attention To Town

The White Draw fire grew in acreage and numbers over the last day. Now, over 7,000 acres burned and firefighters continue the mop up stage.

To gain better control of the fire, crews at White Draw burned land on the north side of its perimeter.

"You've got to take a higher view of public and firefighter safety, and that's why we feel we had to do a little bit of the burning on our own," Public Information Officer Brian Scott said.

Crews hope its all downhill from here.

As the White Draw burns, residents of Edgemont are seeing another change.

"Our little town of Edgemont is very busy right now," Edgemont resident Jo Spencer said.

The 'Fresh Start' in Edgemont is open 24 hours a day, and is attracting a new crowd.

"There's 3 times as many people as there was before," Fresh Start employee David Hyatt said.

Spencer has lived in Edgemont nearly 40 years and says the fire has brought in more people than the county fair.

"I know the natives, and so there is, there's a lot of people who come in," Spencer said.

As the fire brings more people through the door, more money is coming into the town of Edgemont.

"The grocery store is busy, and that's good for them, but sad it has to be that way," Spencer said.

An unfortunate boost in the local economy, but despite the neighborhood tragedy, residents are happy to be in good hands for the remainder of the fire.

"We want to make sure, if its time to leave, the local community can feel safe,” Scott said.