In the moments of disaster, the Elk Fire is bringing Wyoming communities together

TONGUE RIVER – “It’s going to be a season ending event. What that means is we will continue to see smoke of some sort even if the activity dies down until we have snow.”

Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team (RMIMT) is the lead for fire management with 528 people on site to fight the Elk Fire. The public information officer for RMIMT, Kristie Thompson, says that the hot weather, dry vegetation and the wind is making this fire a beast to contain.

“With the wind that is expected today with the red flag warning that starts at noon today, through six p.m. tomorrow (Saturday) we do know that there is the chance that this fire will increase in size

One issue crews tell me they’re facing is people who are stopping along the roads to take photos of the flames, which can be a problem for crews trying to get past them.

“Fire is interesting to look at, however if you stop on the roads around Dayton especially, you’re stopping us. You’re stopping first responders from being able to do their tasks,” said Thompson.

The fire has been burning strong for almost a week now causing evacuations and school closures for the Tongue River Valley.

Parkman Bar and Grill has been an important factor in this fire as the business owners have stepped up to help organize outreach in the community.

They have donated snacks, water, and much more to the firefighters. Along with helping those who need to evacuate find a place to go.