GILLETTE, Wyo. — A large-scale forest fire actively burning in the Bighorn Mountains grew to more than 30,000 acres Tuesday, prompting additional evacuations and a ready order for residents of Dayton, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The Elk Fire has been burning since Friday following an alleged lightning strike. It is currently uncontained at 32,000 acres as 200 personnel battle for containment approximately 6 miles northwest of Dayton, the Forest Service says, adding that the fire remained active overnight and moved further to the northeast.
Fire activity has prompted multiple evacuation orders for Pass Creek Road, Twin Creek Road, Tongue River Canyon west of Dayton and the Eagle Ridge subdivision and other residences directly adjacent to the east of Highway 14 into the Bighorn Mountains.
According to Sheridan County, residents in these areas must evacuate immediately. The Town of Dayton and the Town of Parkman have been placed in a ready status, which means residents should be prepared to evacuate if need be and to gather important things.
The Forest Service has closed portions of the Bighorn National Forest for public and firefighter safety with an order in place until Dec. 31 unless it is rescinded. The closed area begins at the northern boundary of the Medicine Wheel and Tongue River Ranger districts. It runs southeast of Highway 14 along the roadway to Burgess Junction and along Highway 14A west to Pole Creek following the ranger districts north to the mouth of Little Bighorn Canyon.
With the order in place, the public is not allowed to go into or be upon the closed area, nor can anyone be on roadways or trails listed in the order. Violating the closure is a misdemeanor punishable by a $5,000 fine for individuals or a $10,000 fine for organizations, up to six months in jail or both, per the Forest Service.
According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation, District 4, the fire has crossed Highway 14 at mile marker 76, the hairpin curve. The highway is expected to remain closed indefinitely due to safety concerns for the traveling public, hunters, campers and area residents. Individuals with properties or personal belongings accessible from US 14 and US 14A are not allowed access.
Firefighting operations will focus on direct and indirect strategies throughout the day, with personnel looking to improve existing roads and fire lines on the northeastern, eastern and southeastern portions of the fire area, according to Casey Cheesbrough, incident commander for the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3.
“Fire managers will be scouting for areas to safely put in fireline on the southern end of the fire,” Chessbrough wrote in the latest Elk Fire update. “Air resources will continue to assist firefighters on the ground as weather allows. Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority.”
A red flag warning has been issued for Oct. 2 with temperature expected to be in the low 70s over the fire area and winds shifting from the west to northwest in the afternoon with gusts of up to 25 mph, per the update. The Elk Fire is expected to continue putting up a smoke column.
