Rep. Harriet Hageman Announces ‘Devastating’ News

Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-WY) said her family is reeling following a devastating series of wildfires burning across her district over the weekend.

Hageman, who defeated former Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) in the 2022 Republican primary, fought back tears as she described the displacement of her loved ones after their home was consumed by the flames burning near McGinnis Pass. Her childhood home sat on Wyoming’s eastern border, roughly 100 miles north of Cheyenne, before the rustic property was burned up by wildfires traveling through Haystack Range. “It’s been pretty devastating,” Hageman told Cowboy State Daily.

(VOTE: Are You Supporting TRUMP Or KAMALA In November?)

From Washington, the Republican lawmaker was working the phone lines to ensure her brother Hugh and older sister Julia in Torrington were able to care for their 100-year-old mother Marion Hageman, who lives in a local nursing home. “I just saw her a couple of days ago when I was home. I’m not even sure she even knows about this fire yet,” said Hageman of their mother. “It was a very old log house, with very thick walls because they didn’t split the wood. It was very cold in the wintertime,” she recalled. “We had one woodburning stove, and we would take Montgomery Ward catalogs when we were younger and put them on the stove and heat them through, and then wrap them in fabric and take them to bed to stay warm.”

The family were unfortunate victims of shifting winds which authorities on Friday had warned were quickly changing the direction of wildfires still burning out of control. “Attention!!! Residents of Hartville and Whalen Canyon Evacuate Now! The winds have changed and the fire is advancing west. Pleasant Valley residents begin evacuation process,” the Platte County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. Residents of Hartville and nearby Whalen Canyon were forced to evacuate for the second time in less than a week.

Others who evacuated including an entire animal shelter which reported that all staff, volunteers, and furry friends were safely displaced. “This evening we had to make the difficult decision to evacuate Kindness Ranch,” the Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary posted to its Facebook page. “The fire was picked up by the wind and headed our direction,” adding “large animals (are) houses safely in metal buildings with lots of food, water and a dedicated small number of staff staying back and caring for them. We are all safe, the animals and humans.”

Rep. Hagemen won her seat in 2022 with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who backed her allegation that Cheney was doing everything in her power to hurt his chances at returning to the White House. Cheney, a native of Wyoming and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, co-chaired the select J6 committee in Congress which has been condemned by many House Republicans for offering a slanted, revisionist report on the 2021 Capitol building riots. Hageman said her family is working to quickly pick up the pieces and reset their lives in their homeland hills.

“We grew up in an area we referred to as ‘The Hills,’” Hageman said. “We grew up in the Haystacks, and in a house that was on the Cheyenne to Deadwood stage trail. It was an old, old home, you know, 100-plus years old.” The home was “very special to all of us. That’s where we were all raised. It burned.”

(FREE RED HAT: “Impeached. Arrested. Convicted. Shot. Still Standing”)