Bighorn Elk Fire Briefing Shows Some Optimism

We finally got rid of the House Draw fire and traded up to the Elk fire.

Not a good thing at all.

The House Draw fire was a grass burn between Kaycee and Buffalo Wyoming in the rolling prairie lands.

That fire is now out and a long cleanup and rebuild is underway.

The Elk fire then erupted north of Sheridan, Wyoming, on the same side of the Bighorn Mountain.

That's an entirely different animal than a timber fire.

It's much more intense.

On some days the fires have been fanned by winds above 40mph.

The latest briefing shows some optimism

As those winds continue to shift it's threatened the towns of Dayton and Parkman in northern Sheridan County near the Wyoming-Montana border.

It's come close to the Dayton school a few times, which sits right at the base of the Bighorns.

Residents are packed and ready to move at a moment's notice.

The Elk Fire is now over 50,000 acres.

Worse yet, those winds keep changing directions. That causes the fire to grow in all directions.

There are around 200 people on the fire, the U.S. Forest Service incident team reports in its latest update.

All hands are on deck, and in the air.

Teams on the ground are trying to cut fire breaks. This is difficult in some of the most rugged land the Bighorns have to offer.

In the air, the biggest tankers are dropping fire retardants in an attempt to slow this monster down.

Smoke in the area can be seen for an incredibly long distance.