 Fire officials believed they needed more manpower , so CCC crews from Bighorn National Forest , 165 mi ( 266 km ) to the east , and other districts of Shoshone National Forest started responding by the morning of August 21 . By 12 : 30 pm , more than 200 firefighters were on duty and involved in digging fire line or in support of the firefighting effort . Along one of the small creeks flowing into Blackwater Creek , a small dam was constructed to pocket water supplies for use in backpack water pumps . Due to a long overnight journey , the CCC members from the Tensleep District of Bighorn National Forest did not commence response to the fire until after noon on August 21 . As they arrived , the Tensleep CCC unit were told to relieve the Wapiti CCC unit that had been fighting the fire since the previous evening . More than 50 firefighters commenced construction of a new fire line along Clayton Creek and Clayton Gulch , a ravine extending east from Blackwater Creek . The construction was led by USFS Rangers Alfred Clayton and Urban Post , and their crews consisted mainly of the Tensleep CCC camp and some from other entities . 
