Progress continues in fighting Elk Fire; containment nears 90%

CASPER, Wyo. — Wet, snowy weather in the past week has helped the firefighters working to stamp out the Elk Fire in northern Wyoming, and crews on Sunday reported that the blaze is nearly 90% contained.

At time of publication, the Elk Fire spans 98,352 acres and is roughly 88% contained.

The uncontained sections of the fire along the southwest and northwest edges have not shown any signs of fire activity or smoke since the snowfall on Oct. 30, and the uncontained edges are in steep, inaccessible terrain with heavy fuels. Without the ability to get firefighters into the area to confirm that the edge is cold, operations leaders are being conservative in their approach to evaluating containment.

However, there is still the possibility that fires could become active in the area again if more precipitation does not arrive.

On Saturday, heavy equipment crews continued making progress on the fuel break being constructed along the Red Grade Road. Crews pushed west, using logging equipment to remove fuels from the area. According to reports, firefighters hope to finish the work on Red Grade Road near Twin Lakes by Friday.

Red Grade Road was partially opened on Saturday from the eastern boundary of the Forest up to Big Goose Road 296. It remains closed west of Big Goose Road until the fire control line is finished.

Of concern is public safety during log hauling operations now or if delayed until next summer, crews reported on Sunday. Public removal of firewood in slash piles, with a firewood permit, is acceptable, but the log decks are planned for future sale and are not available for firewood gathering.

Meanwhile, suppression and repair work has been ongoing in several locations along the face of the Bighorns. Repair work includes fixing fencing that was cut during dozer line implementation and repairing the dozer lines.

The repair groups include two hand crews, each with 20 firefighters. They are using hand tools to cut through and flatten dozer line berms, even building water bars on repaired line to help channel water off the line to reduce erosion.

The Deck Haul Group is using logging trucks to transport logs along Dayton Gulch Road 15 to a staging area south of Fool Creek Basin. Motorists should use extreme caution on the 15 road or avoid using it if possible. This work should be completed by Tuesday evening. Any wood remaining along the road after hauling will be available for public firewood with a permit.