CASPER, Wyo. — Two Wyoming wildfires exploded in acreage on Sunday, putting more communities under alert and affecting highway travel. High winds, low humidity and unseasonably warm temperatures drove fire growth, while the wind also grounded aerial firefighting resources for hours at a time, according to the updates on InciWeb.
Elk Fire- Sheridan County
The Elk Fire was first reported around about six miles northwest of Dayton at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept 27., and is already reported at over 22,000 acres. “The fire grew at least 8 miles to the south overnight,” the incident update said Monday morning.
“With an anticipated weather change tomorrow (winds out of the south), and as fast as the fire has been moving, the Little Horn Canyon cabin group could be imminently impacted on [Tuesday, Oct. 1]” the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday afternoon. “Residents of the Little Horn Canyon should please consider this a ‘READY’ notification at this time for evacuation.”
Evacuations have been issued along Pass Creek and Sheridan County Road 144, and Pass Creek is closed to all non-resident traffic.
“As of the morning of September 30, out-building structures have likely been lost. Local Law enforcement and firefighters are working with the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office to notify property owners of structures lost,” the sheriff’s office said.
US 14 between Steamboat Rock and Dayton School is closed to make way for firefighters, WYDOT said.
“The town of Dayton is NOT under an evacuation notice at this time. Fire crews continue to focus on structures protection along the face of the mountain along Pass Creek toward Dayton, WY,” the SCSO said.
Lighting is the suspected cause of the fire.
Pack Trail Fire
The Pack Trail Fire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest 23 miles southeast of Moran grew about 8,000 acres on Sunday, driven by 60-mile per hour wind gusts, the incident management update said on Monday. Additional firefighters arrived throughout Monday morning and a complex incident management team from California will arrive to take command of the fire late Wednesday or early Thursday.
“The fire made a 5-mile wind-driven run with crowning and spotting during the afternoon,” said District Ranger Todd Stiles. The extreme fire behavior prompted evacuations and an increase in the evacuation alert level for several subdivisions and ranches in Fremont County.
Currently the fire is paused on the ridge between Lava Mountain peak and the old Lava Mountain burn scar, above the Lava Mountain Lodge.
“The fire is continuing to burn on the interior right now, and that’s expected to continue today,” Stiles said. .
The fire started by lightning on Septemeber 15 and has grown to over 19,600 acres. It is burning in remote, rugged, and inaccessible terrain with few roads, limiting any direct engagement on the ground.
The Fish Creek Fire just to the north saw less active fire behavior Monday and it 85%.
“This can be attributed to the fact that the fire is running into previously consumed fuel along its perimeter and is primarily burning interior pockets of vegetation that are not threatening containment lines,” the update said.
It has burned over 25,000-acres since it started by lightning on August 16.
