No end in sight for folks on 51,000 acre trail…

For folks in Dayton and Parkman, Wyoming, Friday may seem a little like Groundhog Day.

Both small northern Wyoming communities remain on alert to be ready to evacuate if an uncontained, 51,511-acre wildfire to the west hits them again.

The Elk Fire started a week ago from a suspected lightning strike and exploded literally overnight Sunday as it spread to 20,000 acres and neared Dayton. In the days that followed, it was more and more of the same.

It remains a very active, unpredictable fire with hot, dry winds that could blow it in almost any direction, said Kristie Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, which is monitoring the Elk Fire. The team coordinates resources from numerous agencies.

So far, efforts are continuing to build fire protection structures around the fire while containing potential damage to people and property, she said.

To that end, the fire grew to about 1,000 acres Thursday, but most of it was done intentionally with an unmanned aerial attack on a patch of land near the Horseshoe subdivision, Thompson said.

“We used an unmanned aircraft system to pinpoint the falling of these little balls that we call ping-pong balls, and we were able to pinpoint fires,” she said.

This involved removing fuel between a bulldozer line set up at a point along the fire's seat and the subdivision.

That helps protect those properties “if the fire wants to come down that mountainside,” she said.

Overall, the multi-agency team deployed a lot of manpower and equipment against the Elk Fire, with 528 people, 10 helicopters, two air attack control aircraft, the unmanned aircraft system and access to air tankers as needed, Thompson said. If necessary, a National Guard rescue helicopter is also on standby around the clock.

Some of the most important work continues to be performed by local firefighters, who are largely entirely volunteers in the rural Elk Fire area.

“These local volunteer fire departments are critical to these firefighting efforts,” Thompson said. “They've been here since day one, had some really long days and continue to do a great job,” Thompson said. “They know the country, the people and how these fires have affected them in the past.”

Not your typical fire

Although there is no typical or average wildfire model, the Elk Fire is unusual in many ways, according to firefighters.

During a community meeting Wednesday evening with interagency staff and about 800 locals, Operations Chief Brian Cresto noted that this one stands out in decades of wildfire suppression.

“This is 30 years in the fire for me, and this is the youngest and most active fire I have ever seen,” he said. “And I encountered a lot of fires.”

Tongue River Fire District-Ranchester Fire Chief Jeff Barron agrees.

“I've been fighting fires since I was 16 in a volunteer department many moons ago, and to be honest, I've never seen anything like this this late in the season,” Barron told Cowboy State Daily. “This is a very unusual forest fire for this time of year.”

Combined with a “huge fuel load,” a series of unusual dry cold fronts is causing the wind to blow from all over the place, he said.

“It really is a strange wind,” he said. “Usually we either have dry lightning or cold fronts that come through with moisture. This time we saw at least two dry cold fronts come through without causing any precipitation. That just doesn’t happen.”

The weather that has made fighting the Elk Fire so difficult is expected to continue, Thompson said.

“We are not calling anything contained at this point,” she said. “Especially now we have an alert that starts at noon today and continues through tomorrow.”

A red flag means conditions are favorable for wildfires to burn out and spread.

That doesn't mean the crews have nothing to do. They will continue to make fires. piping, removing potential fuel loads or installing sprinklers in some areas, Tompson said

The danger to people living near the fire was also recognized outside of Wyoming.

“My prayers go out to everyone affected by the unprecedented elk fire in northern Wyoming,” U.S. Senator John Barrasso said in a post on his Facebook page. “It is important that residents of Sheridan County and surrounding areas follow local evacuation guidelines.”

Evacuations, canceled football games

All previous evacuations remain in place:

• Tongue River Canyon residents.

• People living from the XX Ranch north to the Montana state line.

• Pass Creek and Twin Creek roads west of Parkman and the ravine where asphalt turns to dirt.

• The Horseshoe Subdivision.

• The cities of Parkman and Dayton are “ready” for possible evacuation.

• The area south of Parkman's Twin Creek Road, north of Amsden Road and west of Highway 343, has been placed at “fixed” status, just below “go” or “get out.”

• Eaton's Ranch has also been increased to Set.

• South of the Montana line to Highway 343, east to Interstate 90 and also to Barker Road you should now “get ready” to evacuate. These include the Parkman Hills subdivision and homes west of Barker Road.

• In Dayton west of Beckton Road south to the intersection with Big Goose Road, the project is also now in Ready status, including the area west of Rapid Creek Road.

As for area public schools, Tongue River Elementary and Tongue River Middle School continue to offer in-person classes, but Tongue River High School in Dayton is offering online classes this week.

“In a best-case scenario, staff and students will be back in school Monday and buses will be parked next to the school in case we ever need to evacuate,” Superintendent Jeff Jones said in a statement on the high school’s website.

However, classes will remain online if the fire safety team orders it, he said.

Announcements about what awaits local schools next week will be made Sunday afternoon.

As for high school track and field teams, outdoor practice depends on air quality. If possible, the team may move to other areas further east to practice.

But the Tongue River Eagles will not play Saturday's scheduled game against Upton/Sundance because of the fire. And because they couldn't find room in the schedule to make up the game, it will be considered a loss for Tongue River, which will drop to 1-4 on the season.

Although they were rivals on the field, the folks in Upton showed that the Elk Fire is on the minds of those around them. This was supposed to be the homecoming game between Upton and Sundance, and there was still a homecoming parade in Upton on Thursday. The local fire department displayed messages for the Tongue River area on their fire trucks at the parade.

“Prayers for the firefighters, students and community of Dayton Tongue River,” one sign read. Another, apparently signed by local students, read: “Prayers for Dayton/Tongue River.”

Contact Greg Johnson at [email protected]

Greg Johnson available at [email protected].