Containment grows on Elk Fire

CASPER, Wyo. — Firefighters continued making progress in slowing the Elk Fire in northern Wyoming on Saturday, and containment jumped from 44% to nearly 50%.

On Sunday morning, incident command reported that containment on the fire is now at 48% as the fire spans 96,197 acres.

Along the northwestern portion of the blaze, fire managers are working to develop a structure protection plan, should one be needed, in the area near Road 120.

At the northernmost part of the wildfire, crews on Saturday checked that all pumps are operational for the Little Horn drainage. They also did some reconnaissance work in Red Canyon. Crews were able to start suppression repair work on dozer lines in the state wildlife area.

Due to rain and snow, dozer lines on the southeast corner of the fire were too wet to begin repair work on Saturday, so emergency personnel will reassess the situation when conditions are improved.

Crews are focusing on the 26 Road, preparing it to use as an indirect fire line, extending to its junction with the 16 Road, and will prep that road to its junction with Highway 14. This work includes removing brush and other fuels by removing tree limbs and understory vegetation to eliminate small ladder fuels. This should help defend fire lines in the event fire activity increases as the drying trend continues.

National Weather Service forecasts indicate that conditions will soon begin transitioning back to warmer temperatures and drier terrain. Monday and Tuesday are expected to feature strong overnight winds, though not too extreme. There is a slight chance of additional light precipitation on Tuesday.

“The snowstorm we got really helped us out with the fire,” field operations chief trainee Nick Ostrom said. “We got about five inches of snow on the south end and about seven inches around the [northern] part of the fire.”