Nearly 900 people fighting 75K acre Elk Fire

Posted 10/10/24

The 75,969 acre Elk Fire was 16% contained as of Wednesday morning’s update thanks to the work of 889 personnel now fighting the blaze on the east slope of the Bighorns.

At 3 a.m., due to …

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Nearly 900 people fighting 75K acre Elk Fire

Posted

The 75,969 acre Elk Fire was 16% contained as of Wednesday morning’s update thanks to the work of 889 personnel now fighting the blaze on the east slope of the Bighorns.

At 3 a.m., due to high, gusty winds and low humidity, fire behavior increased significantly northwest of the Big Goose Water Treatment Plant, according to the Wednesday update. Nearby resources working the night shift — one dozer, one hotshot crew and eight engines — responded to the area. The fire was expected to be active Wednesday with warm, dry weather. Numerous aircraft assigned to the incident are conducting water and retardant drops.

On Tuesday, the Wyoming Department of Transportation reduced the road closure on U.S. Highway 14 north of the Antelope Butte Ski Area and U.S. Highway 14A east of Lovell. To accommodate access to Hunt Area 40 outside of the Elk Fire closure areas west of Burgess Junction, the Wyoming Highway Patrol moved two staffed closures to milepost 85.6 (Hunt Mountain Road/FS10 on U.S. Highway 14A) and milepost 38.3 (Granite Pass/Hunt Mountain Road/FS 10 on U.S. Highway 14).

Motorists will encounter barricades with no access on U.S. Highway 14A at Forest Service Road 14 (Sheep Mountain/Devils Canyon) and FS 15 (Dayton Gulch) located within the Forest Service Elk Fire closure. The Bighorn National Forest, WYDOT, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department ask motorists and hunters to be mindful of firefighting equipment in the area and familiar with the boundaries of the Elk Fire.

A Wednesday night meeting was recorded and posted to youtube.com/@2024ElkFire and Facebook.com/bighornnf.

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