The Elk fire raging in Bighorn National Forest has now swelled to nearly 75,000 acres, with firefighters working tirelessly to secure communities and protect critical water supplies, Oil City News reported.
The blaze, reportedly caused by lightning on September 27, has consumed 74,685 acres as of Tuesday morning, while containment remains at just 10%, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Crews, led by Incident Commander Casey Cheesbrough of the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3, are focusing their efforts on the fire’s southern end to defend nearby communities and the essential Big Goose municipal watershed.
This watershed supplies much of Sheridan County’s water, drawing from Big Goose Creek and the Twin Lakes Reservoir, making its protection a high priority.
Efforts are underway on multiple fronts, with 829 personnel deployed to counter the spread and establish defensible perimeters.
Crews on the fire’s northeast edge managed to secure a line overnight, focusing on extinguishing hotspots around structures. Bulldozers and hand tools are employed along Red Grade Road and Poverty Flats, with planned firing operations using drones and helicopters when conditions allow.
No comments:
Post a Comment