community-alert
Elk Fire Update & SCSD #1 as of 10am Sunday 10-13-24
Elk Fire Update – October 13, 2024
Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3
Size: 87,805 acres (3,477-acre increase)
Containment: 28 percent
Percent containment decreased from 32 percent to 28 percent due to an increase in overall acreage of the fire.
In an effort to maintain continuity with Sheridan County regarding Elk Fire evacuations, Johnson County managers alerted residents in the Story area by issuing a Ready status just south of the Sheridan-Johnson county line. For more information, go to Johnson County Emergency Management’s Facebook page: Johnson County WY Emergency Management.
Current Situation: Crews on the northern side of the fire will be patrolling along the dozer-constructed firelines watching for any hotspots, stopping progression, as well as clearing and chipping debris along the 144 Road. Crews patrolling the contained eastern side of the fire are finding very few hotspots. The south side of the fire remains the priority area for both night- and day-shift crews. Fire activity was minimal overnight as crews worked around structures along the Red Grade Road to make improvements. Today, firing operations south of the main fire are ongoing to reduce fuels and increase firelines as firefighters work their way south to Red Grade Road. Helicopters made numerous retardant drops yesterday around communication infrastructure, dozer firelines, hunting camps, and cabins. “We will continue to look south to Story and to communication sites in the area,” said Elk Fire Incident Commander Casey Cheesbrough. “We have been successful so far by being proactive, and we will continue to operate that way.” Today, all 13 aircraft are available to assist with firing operations; however, heavy smoke and low visibility may limit their ability to fly. In the Burgess Junction area, crews are prepped and ready, but the favorable weather is keeping the fire activity low. Heavy equipment and hand crews continue to widen and clear the areas along the Forest Service Road 15, preparing it for future firing operations should that become necessary.
Weather & Fire Behavior: Lower temperatures and higher relative humidity levels yesterday led to a decrease in fire behavior and were ideal for firing operations later in the day. Today will continue with lower temperatures and a light northerly wind, resulting in another day of moderate fire growth expected in most areas. Firing operations and the main fire could produce abundant smoke today; for air-quality and smoke information, go to airnow.gov.
Evacuations and Closures: For information on Johnson County evacuations, go to Johnson County Emergency Management’s Facebook page: Johnson County WY Emergency Management. For information on Sheridan County evacuations and road closures, go to the Sheridan County Emergency Management website: tinyurl.com/2s38bcc5. You can also call the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office (307-672-3455) or Sheridan County Emergency Management (307-752-2174). The Red Cross has established an evacuation center at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds that is accommodating people, RVs/campers, pets, and livestock; call 307-752-2174 or 307-683-6965 to make arrangements. US Highway 14 is closed at Granite Pass/Hunt Mountain Road/FS 10 (milepost 38.3). US Highway 14A is closed at Hunt Mountain Road/FS10 (milepost 85.6). View the Wyoming Department of Transportation road-closure map here: wyoroad.info. Bighorn National Forest lands around the Elk Fire are closed under Order 02-02-06-24-08. The order and map can be viewed here: fs.usda.gov/alerts/bighorn/alerts-notices.
From School District #1 Superintendent Jeff Jones to District Staff and Families – Sunday 10am
In my briefing Sunday morning with emergency management personnel, I was able to confirm that the Big Horn Schools campus is not currently on any alert status (i.e., Ready, Set, Go). They confirmed with me that the closest “Ready” polygon to the school campus is a section west of the Beaver Creek Road/Highway 335 intersection and west of the Brinton Road/Highway 335 intersection.
While our BH campus is not on an alert status, we have staff and families impacted. If you need a place to park your camper, vehicle, etc., please know you can use the parking lot west of the football field. Please try to park as far west up near the softball field. Also, please know our staff will be monitoring our students carefully during this stressful time. If we see a child struggling, we will reach out to the parent and offer the support of our school counselors. Also, as per emergency management personnel, the Big Horn campus is going to see a lot more firetrucks in the area over the next several days. This can create some anxiety, especially for those who already struggle a bit with anxiety. Parents and staff, emergency personnel would also like you to know that the VOA is a great resource for counseling services and they have staff ready to help your children process any struggles that might surface because of the fire. They can be reached at (307) 674-4405.
While we are seeing some relief on the Tongue River side of our school district, our staff and families on the Big Horn side are in the middle of a stressful time, and will continue to be, for the coming days/weeks (even if the actual campus is not on alert status). I will continue to monitor this by the hour and communicate on a daily basis with all district staff and families. If you have any questions, or concerns, please reach out to your child’s building principal. If they can’t answer your question, they will refer it to me and I will be in touch as soon as possible.
