Elk Fire Update

Wyoming Interagency Management Type 3 Team

Jon Warder, Incident Commander

Information Phone: 307-303-7642

Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Email: 2024.Elk@firenet.gov

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/wybhf-elkfire-2024

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bighornnf

Information Linktree: https://linktr.ee/2024ElkFire

Current Situation: Precipitation continues to fall over the fire area this morning, and there are several inches of snow on the ground at higher elevations. Crews are staged at the incident command post this morning until conditions allow them to travel out to their work locations in the fire area. Two graders are standing by to clear the route into Red Grade Road from the west side to allow the Equipment Group personnel access. Due to weather conditions and related hazards yesterday, Suppression repair crews and heavy equipment operators were not sent out to the lines.

The Equipment Group will continue its work to widen defensible space on Red Grade Road. They are using logging equipment to clear trees and create a fuel break to provide fire control options for protecting communities and area Watersheds.

The Suppression Repair group will focus on projects at lower elevations in the front range, including fence repair and knocking down berms from dozer line and creating water bars on repaired line, which can reduce erosion impact.

The goal of suppression repair is to return areas disrupted by firefighting suppression tactics to the way they were before the Fire.

Weather, Fuels, and Fire Behavior: The storm system will be winding down today, with snow lingering through the morning. High temperatures over the fire area will be in the upper 20’s to lower 30’s, with light winds out of the south and southwest. Tonight will be partly cloudy and very cold, with low temperatures of 8-12 degrees.

Closures and Advisories: The incident management team is working with the Bighorn National Forest, State Game and Fish, and the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office to reduce closers on public lands and roads as quickly as possible. Currently, Bighorn National Forest closure Order No. 02-02-06-24-08 remains in effect. The order and map can be viewed here:https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bighorn/alerts-notices.