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Dayton residents prepare for evacuation as Elk fire grows

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Dayton residents prepare for evacuation as Elk fire grows


DAYTON, Wyo. — The Elk fire in northern Wyoming continues to burn across the Bighorn mountains. Early Saturday morning, residents in Dayton were asked to be ready to evacuate at any moment, as the winds are pushing the fire southwest.

With winds over 60 mph, at about 1 am Saturday morning, the Elk fire reached over 62,00 acres. Residents in Dayton have moved from a “Ready” evacuation status, to a “Set” evacuation status, meaning they need to be ready to evacuate.

Mack Carmack, MTN News

Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524

“This one… It just got big so quick… and the winds are not in our favor, by any means,” says Rhianna Miller, a mother and Dayton resident.

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Rhianna Miller, Dayton resident

Mack Carmack, MTN News

Rhianna Miller, Dayton resident

Miller says she used to live in Florida, and would often experience hurricanes, but says this wildfire takes the cake for natural disasters she’s experienced.

“It’s one thing to prepare for a hurricane, ‘cuz you know it’s coming. But, this hands down has to be the most terrifying,” Miller said.

The reason the Elk fire has been so destructive, according to Sheridan County officials, is because of the high winds and timber in the Bighorn mountains. Where most wildfires burn grass, the Elk fire is burning trees.

Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524

Mike De Fries

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Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524

“So (grass fires) can be very fast moving, but if… the wind slows down, they’ll slow down, and we can get ahead and really cut that off. Well, when it’s in a different sort of fuel type, like very heavy timber, it’s going to take a lot longer for that fuel type to be consumed,” said Kristie Thompson, the Public Information Officer for the Elk fire.

What may be most unfortunate for residents is the fact that, because of these high winds and timber, Elk could burn for weeks.

Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524

Mack Carmack, MTN News

Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524

“So, as long as it’s held at bay, and doesn’t come closer to town, I would like to go home,” said Miller.

Many Wyoming residents are hoping to go home, as many areas have already evacuated, including: South Highway 14, west of Beckon Road, and Eaton Ranch Road. In Montana, some Bighorn County residents are preparing for evacuation, as well.

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Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524

Mack Carmack, MTN News

Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524

“(These fires) are very dynamic, very fluid. We’re constantly looking at that with the Incident Management Team, the operations, and coming up with a plan. That’s our primary goal, to make sure that the public is safe, the firefighters are safe. So when we’re seeing the fire move, and the activity change, we are constantly looking at that, and determining where we need to set evacuation notices,” said Levi Dominguez, the Sheridan County Sheriff.

As of Saturday afternoon, the fire is zero percent contained, many evacuations are in order, and heavy winds continue to spread across the region. Because of that, there is no way of knowing when Elk fire is to end.

“Until the snow comes, we will likely be seeing smoke,” says Thompson.





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Wyoming

Measles Case Confirmed in Park County – Wyoming Department of Health

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Measles Case Confirmed in Park County – Wyoming Department of Health


The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) has confirmed a case of measles in a Park County resident. The adult is fully vaccinated but had extensive exposure to measles while abroad and developed a mild illness. The individual was not hospitalized. WDH is notifying all identified individuals potentially exposed to measles in Park County. While it […]



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What’s in Wyoming’s application for up to $800M in federal health funds?

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What’s in Wyoming’s application for up to 0M in federal health funds?





What’s in Wyoming’s application for up to $800M in federal health funds? – County 17





















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Wyoming power plant booming with suspected UFO, drone sightings — but still no answers after over a year

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Wyoming power plant booming with suspected UFO, drone sightings — but still no answers after over a year


Fleets of drones and suspected UFOs have been spotted hovering over a Wyoming power plant for more than a year, while a local sheriff’s department is still searching for clues.

Officials with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office recorded scores of beaming, drone-like objects circling around the Red Desert and Jim Bridger Power Plant in Rock Springs over the last 13 months — though they didn’t specify how many, the Cowboy State Daily reported.

Multiple drone or suspected UFO sightings have been reported at the Jim Bridger Power Plant in Rock Springs, Wyoming. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Sheriff John Grossnickle was one of the first to witness the spectacles, and last saw the mind-boggling formation on Dec. 12, his spokesperson Jason Mower told the outlet.

The fleets periodically congregate over the power plant in coordinated formations, Mower claimed.

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The sheriff’s office hasn’t been able to recover any of the suspected UFOs, telling the outlet they’re too high to shoot down.

The law enforcement outpost’s exhaustive efforts to get to the truth haven’t yielded any results, even after Grossnickle enlisted help from Wyoming US Rep. Harriet Hageman — who Mower claimed saw the formation during a trip to the power plant.

Hageman could not be reached for comment.

A spokesperson for the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office said that the drones typically hover too high up for them to shoot down. X/@JerzyBets

“We’ve worked with everybody. We’ve done everything we can to figure out what they are, and nobody wants to give us any answers,” Mower said, according to the outlet.

At first, spooked locals bombarded the sheriff’s office with calls about the confounding aerial formations. Now, though, Mower said that people seem to have accepted it as “the new normal.”

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Mower noted that the objects, which he interchangeably referred to as “drones” and “unidentified flying objects,” have yet to pose a danger to the public or cause any damage to the power plant itself.

John Grossnickle, the sheriff of Sweetwater County, claimed he saw the objects. LinkedIn/John Grossnickle

“It’s like this phenomenon that continues to happen, but it’s not causing any, you know, issues that we have to deal with — other than the presence of them,” he told the outlet.

The spokesperson promised the sheriff’s office would “certainly act accordingly” if the drones pose an imminent harm.

Meanwhile, Niobrara County Sheriff Randy Starkey told the Cowboy State Daily that residents of his community also reported mystery drone sightings over Lance Creek — more than 300 miles from the Jim Bridger Power Plant — starting in late October 2024 and ending in early March.

Another sheriff’s office one county over also reported similar sightings over a creek. phonlamaiphoto – stock.adobe.com

Starkey said he’s “just glad they’re gone,” according to the outlet.

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Drone sightings captured the nation’s attention last year when they were causing hysteria in sightings over New Jersey.

Just days into his second term, President Trump had to clarify that the drones were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to quell worries that they posed a national security threat.

Still, the public wasn’t convinced, but the mystery slowly faded as the sightings plummeted.

In October, though, an anonymous source with an unnamed military contractor told The Post that their company was responsible for the hysteria.

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