Wildfire — Northeast Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Northeast Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Event narrative

Please see Episode Narrative.

Wider weather episode

The lightning-caused Elk Fire started near Riley Point and West Pass in the Bighorn National Forest. The fire was detected at 4:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, September 27th. Air attack and ground crews initially responded, which included retardant and bucket drops from airtankers and a helicopter. Hand crews and more resources arrived shortly thereafter. The Elk Fire burned in heavy, dead and down timber. The terrain is rough and remote which made it challenging for firefighters to get in or out of the incident. Shortly after the fire started, a closure for the area took place to protect the safety of firefighters and visitors traveling forest roads and trails. In addition, US Highway 14 in both directions from Burgess Junction to Dayton, Wyoming was closed for a period of time. The fire burned 98,352 acres and was 100% contained by November 1st.

For more detailed information, please see https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/wybhf-elk-fire-2024.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1217024. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.