Hot, dry and windy conditions are driving two major wildfires in separate corners of Wyoming, forcing residents to evacuate.
The Elk Fire in Sheridan County has grown to over 22,500 acres since Friday, while the Pack Trail Fire south of Togwotee Pass has reached more than 19,600. Lightning strikes ignited both blazes.
“With more fire weather forecast for this week, it’s absolutely critical that hunters and others recreating outside continue to exercise caution,” Gov. Mark Gordon wrote in a Facebook post Monday.
The governor encouraged residents to check Fremont County and Sheridan County’s local emergency manager pages for the latest information on evacuations and area closures.
The Elk Fire in Sheridan County has grown to about 22,000 acres after a lightning strike on Friday.
(Courtesy/U.S. Forest Service – Bighorn National Forest Facebook page)
Elk Fire
Evacuations for all of the Horseshoe subdivision west of Dayton in Sheridan County had been ordered as of 3 p.m. Monday.
“Law enforcement and fire personnel will contact each residence to advise them of the evaluation order,” according to the Sheridan County Government Facebook page. “No other orders have been issued for Dayton or any other communities at this time.”
Crews have no containment around the fire, which ignited Friday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
“Air operations are underway, and retardant is being dropped by four large air tankers in locations where success is highest,” the U.S. Forest Service stated in a press release. “Due to high winds, helicopter operations are paused. Fire crews continue to focus on structures protection along the face of the mountain along Pass Creek toward Dayton, WY.”
Meanwhile, Wyoming Highway 14 from Dayton to Burgess is closed to all public travel. Sheridan County has also closed Pass Creek Road, Twin Creek, Smith Creek Road, and Tongue River Canyon Road to non-resident travel.
Additionally, the northern portion of the Tongue Ranger District north of highways 14 and 14a is closed.
The Pack Trail Fire south of Togwotee Pass between Jackson Hole and Dubois burned aggressively Saturday afternoon Sept. 28, 2024. (Roxanne Workman Gust/Teton County Fire & Rescue, Teton County, Idaho )
Pack Trail Fire
Burning south of the ongoing Fish Creek Fire, the Pack Trail Fire has forced the evacuations of cabins, ranches, homes and lodges west of Dubois on Sunday.
Those evacuations included Brooks Lake Road, Pinnacle and Breccia drives, Long Creek and Lava Mountain Subdivisions, Triangle C Ranch, old KOA, Timberline Ranch and Rawhide ranches, among other areas, as WyoFile previously reported.
The Fish Creek and Pack Trail fires are being managed together.
Sixty-mile-per-hour wind gusts on Sunday worked to swell the Pack Trail Fire to more than 19,600 acres, exhibiting “extreme fire behavior” according to Bridger-Teton National Forest.
“The fire made a 5-mile wind driven run with crowning and spotting during the afternoon,” Jackson District Ranger Todd Stiles said.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office contacted more than 60 residents on Sunday to tell them directly of Sunday’s urgent evacuation notice.
“They were met with good response,” Fremont County Emergency Coordinator Milan Vinich told WyoFile. “A lot of people” followed the advice to evacuate.
Only a few people needed to go to the Red Cross Shelter at the former Warm Valley Assisted Living Lodge. Some cattle had to be moved, but no livestock were taken to the Dubois rodeo grounds for shelter as of early Monday.
The Pack Trail Fire is 0% contained, while the Fish Creek Fire is 85% contained.
Angus Thuermer Jr. contributed to this report.
The post Evacuations ordered as two Wyoming wildfires explode appeared first on WyoFile .