The Elk Fire burning throughout Wyoming’s Big Horn National Forest near the town of Dayton triggered evacuations late Tuesday night and expanded evacuation warnings for nearby residents Wednesday.
The fire, which lightning first ignited on Sept. 27, has burned 49,555 acres in North-Central Wyoming along the border of Montana and closed the major roadway of US Highway 14. It sits at 0% containment as of Thursday morning.
“The conditions we’re experiencing on this fire are unprecedented…in these mountains,” Bighorn National Forest Supervisor Andrew Johnson said at a community meeting Wednesday night. “The temperatures we’ve been feeling don’t feel like October. The dryness we have does not feel like October. The relative humidity being so low doesn’t feel like October.”
The area is under a red flag warning with temperatures estimated in the low 70s, wind gusts up to 25 mph, and relative humidity around 20%. Dayton’s average max temperature since 1951 is 59.2 degrees, according to the Western Regional Climate Center.
Johnson also said fire crews are in this for the long haul, as the “unprecedented” weather conditions are expected to promote fire growth.
“Hot, windy weather is anticipated to start Friday afternoon and continue into Saturday. This weather will likely bring increased fire activity and spread,” the Big Horn National Forest’s update Thursday morning said.
The Sheridan County Sheriff issued evacuations for residents along Pass Creek Road and Twin Creek Road west of Parkman, and Tongue River Canyon west of Dayton. “Set” evacuation warnings were set for residents on the Eagle Ridge Subdivision and those living east of U.S. Highway 14. The town of Parkman and residents north of the town on both sides of Highway 345 up to the Montana state line were put under “Ready” notices.
An evacuation center was set up at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds in the city of Sheridan.
“From when this fire was discovered Friday, it has been a hard fight,” Johnson said. “It has been resistant to control despite a lot of intense effort from the air and the ground.”
