DAYTON, Wyo. — The Bighorn National Forest Facebook page announced today that, after nearly an entire month of being closed as a result of the Elk Fire burning in northern Wyoming, U.S. Highway 14 between Dayton and Burgess Junction is open again. This comes as the fire is now officially over half contained.
Although the reopening marks significant progress in the containment of the Elk Fire and efforts at returning to normalcy, there are still some limitations to commuting along the route. According to the forest service’s update, the road is still closed to truck traffic and has reduced speed limits.
Additionally, the highway will still be busy with firefighting vehicles and equipment as well as highway repair crews. Therefore, following the new restrictions is heavily advised.
“Consider avoiding the area entirely if you don’t have to be there,” the Bighorn National Forest said.
Other routes, like Red Grade Road to the south and County Road 89 leading south out of Dayton, are still closed and should be completely avoided. For more information on which routes are still closed and which are not, see the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s website.
The decision to reopen the route is associated with good progress made on fighting the fire, which at 96,360 acres is now 51% contained. The Bighorn National Forest reported that the fire’s eastern side especially has come a long way in suppression repair. Some of this progress is thanks to cooler temperatures and light precipitation yesterday.
The forest service also announced that while hot spots within the fire’s perimeter still persist, the fire’s behavior has shifted to a more creeping nature. It’s slower than it has been and is smoldering more than it is spreading.
Some difficult conditions persist in certain areas that will continue to inhibit firefighting for at least today. Due to a recent weather system, some areas of the Bighorns presented fog that crews found difficult to work in, according to the forest service. In other areas, mud made vehicle and foot traffic harder.
Wet weather seems likely again tonight, according to the National Weather Service. There is a 70% chance of rain after 3 a.m. and a 50% chance tomorrow.
For more detailed information on the efforts of individual firefighting crew divisions, see the Bighorn National Forest’s Facebook page.