Elk Fire grows to nearly 76,000 acres, 16% contained

LOVELL (WNE) — As of Wednesday, nearly 900 people were involved in the effort to bring the Elk Fire under control.

Caused by a September 27 lightning strike, the fire was said to be 16% contained and had consumed 75,969 acres on the eastern slope of the Bighorn National Forest — from roughly six miles northwest of Dayton to six miles southwest of Dayton.

Casey Cheesbrough, incident commander of the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3, said in Tuesday’s daily update that firefighting efforts were focused on the southern part of the fire and protecting surrounding communities, the Big Goose municipal watershed and structures in the Big Goose drainage that are potentially threatened.

This story was published on October 10, 2024.