Elk Fire destroys 2 homes, swells to 62,000 acres

The Elk Fire burning in northern Wyoming destroyed two homes Saturday morning as it swelled amid high winds, authorities there said.

The destruction came as the conflagration grew to more than 62,000 acres along the eastern front of the Bighorn Mountains, spurring a wave of evacuations near the town of Dayton.

Authorities attributed the loss of the homes to strong winds and unpredictable fire activity. Crews worked overnight Friday to defend the Horseshoe subdivision west of Dayton. But on Saturday morning, increasingly erratic fire behavior spurred by a passing cold front forced firefighters to evacuate the immediate area.

“While we regret the loss of property, the number one goal is always the safety of the public and the firefighters,” the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.

The fire had already burned at least six outbuildings —  barns, outhouses and other nonresidential structures. The homes lost Saturday were primary residences.

Crews have also been forced to contend with people who ignored evacuation orders and stayed behind, said Sheridan County Sheriff Levi Dominguez. One such person was injured Friday night, he said.

“It’s been a distraction for the firefighters as they are trying to work hard and work diligently to combat this fire,” he said.

The lightning-sparked fire was detected Sept. 27 on the Bighorn National Forest. It quickly ballooned in dry and windy weather, burning along the eastern flank of the Bighorns.

Overnight Friday, the fire moved south toward the Big Goose area, Dominguez said. New evacuation orders were issued for the Eagle Ridge Subdivision and homes directly east of U.S. Highway 14 and an area west of Beckton Road from Dayton, continuing south to the intersection with Eaton Ranch Road.

The town of Dayton itself, which has roughly 900 residents, was elevated to the “set” status, with residents being told to prepare for evacuations.

“It was definitely a firefight … we knew it was coming with the winds,” Dominguez said.

The fire has also closed a stretch of Highway 14 and some area schools.

Earlier in the week, Gov. Mark Gordon visited the area and said the National Guard and Wyoming firefighting resources were available to assist federal fire officials. Nearly 600 personnel are now working the fire, which has so far not been contained.

Crews are contending with an active fire season across Wyoming, with nearly 700 fires burning more than 710,000 acres, according to the state forester.

In northwest Wyoming, two of those fires — Pack Trail and Fish Creek — merged along Bull Creek, officials said Saturday. They are now being managed under one name: the Pack Trail Fire. That combined fire has burned roughly 48,600 acres.

Crews on the fire also contended with strong winds overnight Friday, and expected to do the same through at least part of the weekend.

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