SHERIDAN COUNTY, Wyo. - A weather system brought rain and snow - and some relief to fire crews - as containment reached 44 percent on the Elk Fire burning in the Bighorn National Forest.
Firefighting efforts were delayed Friday morning due to safety reasons, but fire officials said the wildfire did not see any growth overnight and remained at an estimated 96,179 acres. On Thursday morning fire officials estimated containment at 28 percent.
The number of fire personnel assigned to the incident has also been reduced from just over 900 in recent days to 714 on Friday. Evacuations have also been downgraded, according to a Friday morning update.
The Sheridan County Sheriff's Office posted this notice Friday regarding evacuation status changes:
The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office and Incident Command are working closely together to reevaluate the evacuation status levels for the areas in proximity to the Elk Fire. With the welcome precipitation yesterday and overnight and expected fire behavior, we will be downgrading several areas.
Effective immediately:
The following area has been downgraded to a “Set” status:
- The area West of Slack Road and East Pass Creek Road, including the Northwest section of Pass Creek Rd to the Montana line, West to the Forest Service boundary. This also includes the Little Horn Canyon Cabins.
- Rapid Creek, Red Grade area- the area west of Bear Gulch Trail to Bear Gulch Road continuing in a southeasterly manner to Hidden Valley Road, continuing south to the US Forest Service boundary. This includes all cabins within the Teepee Cabin group, all cabins in the Black Tooth Cabin Association and homes on Lower Hideaway Lane, Red Poll Lane, and Upper Hideaway Lane. This also includes Stumpy Ridge, Helsberg, and Folley Ranch. As well as cabins along FSR 296.
- Highway 335 at the Intersection of Brinton Road will open today.
- Red Grade Road at the winter closure point will remain a hard closure. Only fire personnel and law enforcement will be allowed in that area.
Officials will continue to monitor fire behavior and assess the need to change any evacuation levels and road closures on an as needed basis.
We encourage everyone to monitor the Sheridan County Facebook page and the Sheridan County website for the most up-to-date information.
Thank you for your cooperation as we work to ensure the safety of all residents.
Sheridan County Emergency Management Phone: 307-752-2174
The Elk Fire hotline number is: 307-303-7642
The Elk Fire started on Sept. 27 by lightning and was fueled by higher-than-normal temperatures forcing numerous evacuations, road closures and other impacts. A weather system moved in Thursday and brought up to an inch of rain to some areas of the fire. Snow was predicted overnight up to 5 inches in some areas.
RELATED: Blessing to have': Sheridan County residents relieved by rain during Elk Fire
Here is the full update:
Key Messages: Both Sheridan County and Johnson County downgraded several evacuation statuses yesterday. For detailed information about the changes in Sheridan County, go to facebook.com/sheridancountysheriffwy. For Johnson County, go to facebook.com/JohnsonCoWYEMC.
Cabin owners along Red Grade Road will be allowed through the road closure today from 9 am to 5 pm to winterize their cabins. Additional opportunities may be available in the future as fire conditions allow. For detailed information on the requirements, go to Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page: facebook.com/sheridancountysheriffwy.
Today at 6 p.m., after 18 days managing the Elk Fire, Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) 3, under the leadership of Incident Commander Casey Cheesbrough, will transfer command of the incident to Rocky Mountain CIMT 1, under the leadership of Incident Commander Dan Dallas. Team 3 greatly appreciates the outpouring of support, generosity, and gratitude expressed by residents and communities affected by the fire.
Current Situation: Overnight, firefighters were housed at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds and Sheridan County Community College because of the ongoing winter-weather event. “This situation is pretty challenging and really dynamic with the inclement weather, but we will always be proactive with taking care of our firefighters,” said Casey Cheesbrough, Elk Fire incident commander.
The decision to put firefighters back on the fireline today will be evaluated throughout the day. Those crews assessing the fire and road conditions will do so from hard-surface roads to minimize damage to gravel and dirt roads and trails saturated with recent precipitation.
Weather & Fire Behavior: Cold temperatures, high relative humidity, and precipitation yesterday and through the night resulted in minimal fire behavior and no growth. The northern portion of the fire received approximately 1 inch of rain, and the southern side 0.7 inches. Areas above 7,000 feet in elevation received between 5 and 10 inches of snow. The winter weather advisory remains in effect until 6 pm today, bringing the possibility of additional precipitation before a short-duration warming, drying trend begins tomorrow. The soaking rain penetrated soils and vegetation, reducing fire behavior immediately and likely for several days; however, stumps and large pockets of dead and down trees will continue to produce smoke. For air-quality and smoke information, go to airnow.gov.
Evacuations and Closures: For information on Johnson County evacuations, go to Johnson County WY Emergency Management. For information on Sheridan County evacuations and road closures, go to the Sheridan County Emergency Management website: sheridancountywy.gov/newslist. You can also call the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office (307-672-3455) or Sheridan County Emergency Management (307-752-2174). US Highway 14 is closed between Burgess Junction and Dayton. View the Wyoming Department of Transportation road-closure map here: wyoroad.info. Bighorn National Forest closure Order No. 02-02-06-24-08 is in effect. The order and map can be viewed here: fs.usda.gov/alerts/bighorn/alerts-notices.
Elk Fire Information:
Phone: 307-303-7642 (8 am to 8 pm)
Email: 2024.Elk@firenet.gov
Linktree: linktr.ee/2024ElkFire
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