Elk fire burns 2 homes over weekend as winds gusted to 60 mph (2024)

Two homes in a subdivision west of Dayton, Wyoming, were confirmed burned Saturday morning as the Elk fire blew up on Friday, Oct. 4, boosted by 50 to 60 mph wind gusts as a dry storm front surged through the region.

Jesse Ludikhuize, Sheridan County Emergency manager, said 3,000 structures have been placed under evacuation warnings in the region with 500 already evacuated. The number of people affected, however, is not available, he said. Five other structures, such as pole barns, have also burned.

In response to the fire’s growth, on Monday morning the Wyoming Department of Transportation closed off Highway 14 from Antelope Butte north to Burgess Junction, as well as Highway 14A from the Junction west to the Sheridan County line. Highway 14 from Dayton to Burgess remains closed.

“In the last 100 years, the modern fire history of the Bighorn National Forest … the largest wildfire we’d had on the forest was roughly 18,000 acres,” Andrew Johnson, supervisor of Bighorn National Forest, told a crowd gathered at the Tongue Creek Middle School gym on Sunday night. “That fire took about a month to grow to 18,000 acres.

“On Friday night, this fire grew 25,000 acres in a matter of hours,” he said. “So the wind events have been unprecedented, fuels conditions are unprecedented, and this has been a tough fight.”

As of Monday morning, the fire was estimated at 114 square miles (72,998 acres) with only 10% considered contained. The crew fighting the blaze has grown to 680 personnel.

Dayton at ground zero

As the Elk fire grew on all fronts over the weekend, the blaze also advanced to within a few hundred yards of Dayton’s water supply in Tongue River Canyon, according to the town’s mayor, Clifford Reed.

The fire temporarily knocked out power to the water plant, which has a backup generator that kicked in before electrical crews were able to make repairs.

Reed praised the community for volunteering help, but also noted the region had suffered from rumors that instilled fear and uncertainty in residents. He encouraged anyone with questions to consult city officials who have been receiving daily updates.

“This fire has now affected the entire length of Sheridan County from north to south in one way or another,” said Sheridan County Sheriff Levi Dominguez.

The wildland fire has advanced far enough south along the Bighorn Mountains’ eastern front that measures are being taken to protect the water source for the larger community of Sheridan, which is located along Big Goose Creek about 14 miles southwest of the town.

As the fire moved south, the area from Eaton’s Ranch to the intersection with Beckton Road and south to Big Goose Road and Rapid Creek were placed in “Go” evacuation status on Saturday. South of Big Goose homeowners, including the Black Tooth and Tepee subdivisions, have been placed on “Set” notice. Farther south to the town of Story, residents have been put on “Ready” status.

Dominguez encouraged people to stay out of “Go" areas when there is active fire, otherwise firefighters have to worry about people instead of protecting structures and private property.

“It’s a huge, huge distraction,” he said.

Taking the offensive

Firefighters are hoping to go on the offensive to stop the fire’s advance by carving fireline with heavy equipment on the fire’s southern boundary, said Adam Ziegler, Field Operations section chief for the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3. Although at least one such containment line to the south was jumped during the weekend blow-up.

“We’re going to try to take advantage of the weather and the great resources we’ve got,” said Johnson, the forest supervisor.

The Elk fire also moved north toward the Montana border over the weekend, as winds moved erratically through the region. As that happened, hand crews and bulldozers moved in to build a fireline as well as to set up pumps and portable tanks around houses near Little Horn Road, Ziegler said.

To the south near Red Grade Road, Ziegler said firefighters are creating a fireline uphill into the Poverty Flats area in an attempt to get a “toehold.”

Two divisions are working in the Burgess Junction area atop the Bighorn Mountains to protect structures and looking for places to slow down the fire’s progress. Forest Road 15 has the potential as a future control line in the area.

Strategic options on the ground are limited because there are some areas firefighters can’t safely work and be successful with the fuel conditions and fire behavior, said Casey Cheesbrough, Rocky Mountain IMT incident commander.

Some resources are being reassigned to the south, but there aren’t enough personnel to patrol the fire’s entire perimeter.

Pack Trail fire

To the south in the Wind River Mountains, the Pack Trail fire also grew significantly over the weekend as 60 mph gusts helped the west side of the fire move 7 miles. The fire has grown to 90 square miles (58,065 acres) and is being fought by 417 personnel.

Forecast

For the next several days, warm, dry weather will continue with temperatures climbing into the 60s in the mountains and 70 to 80s along the base of the Bighorn Mountains, according to Shawn Palmquist, incident meteorologist. Winds will be light out of the west.

Normally at this time of the year, highs are in the 60s, he said.

Cooler weather, although welcome, has also resulted in smokier conditions which could hamper air operations.

By this weekend there’s the potential for lower temperatures but the likelihood of rain or snow is low.

An Elk fire relief fund has been established on GoFundMe. So far, more than 580 people have donated $112,000 to help northern Wyoming volunteer fire departments.

Sheridan County is still offering emergency shelter services at the fairgrounds, although it will no longer be staffed 24 hours a day due to an apparent lack of need. The fairgrounds also has room for livestock and pets as well as RV hookup spaces.