Wyoming
More than 900 personnel working to contain the Elk Fire in Wyoming
More than 900 personnel were working to contain the Elk Fire in northern Wyoming nearly two weeks after the fire started.
In an update Thursday, fire officials said the wildfire is now estimated to have burned 76,378 acres and was 15 percent contained. There were 902 personnel assigned to the fire.
The fire was started in the Bighorn National Forest by lightning on Sept. 27. Ten 10 helicopters, 21 crews, 63 engines, 8 dozers, 12 water tenders, 5 masticators, and 1 skidder are currently assigned to the blaze.
Here’s the latest update from fire officials:
Key Messages: The recording of last night’s community meeting at Big Horn High School can be viewed on the Elk Fire YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@2024ElkFire/videos) and the Bighorn National Forest’s Facebook Page (Facebook.com/bighornnf).
The percent containment reported decreased from 16 percent to 15 percent because of recent fire growth. Percent containment measures how much of the fire’s perimeter is surrounded by a control line. The perimeter of the fire is 225 miles, with 34 of those miles being contained firelines.
Overnight, the fire crossed the Big Goose River on the southern end of the fire. The night crew was ready and anticipating this forward progression. They completed firing operations to introduce low-intensity fire on the landscape to reduce the fuel load before the active fire got there. The day shift will continue to work in this area, patrolling and mopping up residual hotspots.
Current Situation:
Residents in Sheridan, Beckton, Bighorn, or Story may have noticed more fire activity and smoke yesterday. The fire was very active, particularly on the west side, due to high winds, high temperatures, low humidity. The fire is expected to be active again today, potentially producing abundant smoke. Additionally, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team has been implementing strategic firing operations along the northern and southern edges of the fire perimeter, consisting of adding low- to moderate-intensity fire to the ground in targeted areas to remove fuels from the fire and limit its intensity. Firing operations will continue today if weather conditions permit.
On the fire’s northern side, a hotshot crew conducted additional firing operations, and air operations dropped fire retardant yesterday off the 144 Road. Today, the crews will continue to prepare the 144 Road to protect the Little Bighorn Canyon. The established containment line along the northeastern side of the fire perimeter is holding, and there is minimal heat detected in the area.
On the southeastern and southern parts of the fire, mopup and patrolling continues. Firefighting crews will continue to build additional control lines and prepare areas for potential firing and aerial operations that would protect the watershed and associated water-treatment plant structures. Road graders are working alongside firefighting resources to prepare the Red Grade Road.
On the western side of the fire in the Burgess Junction area, structure protection is in place, and more pumps and sprinklers will be installed today. Firefighters remain on scene to protect structures and conduct defensive firing operations if needed.
Weather & Fire Behavior: A cold front is moving in today, dropping temperatures, increasing humidity, and shifting wind direction to the northwest. The shifting, gusty winds will likely increase fire activity and smoke production, particularly on the fire’s west side, directing growth into the Bighorn National Forest. Vegetation remains extremely dry and receptive to burning. The cooler, moister conditions are not expected to reduce fire behavior in areas with timber. For air-quality and smoke information, refer to the AirNow website: airnow.gov.
Evacuations and Closures: Sheridan County evacuation levels did not change Wednesday. For detailed information, view the evacuation map and all news releases on the Sheridan County Emergency Management website: tinyurl.com/2s38bcc5 or call either the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office (307-672-3455) or Sheridan County Emergency Management (307-752-2174).
Bighorn National Forest lands around the Elk Fire are closed under Order 02-02-06-24-08. The order and map can be viewed on the forest’s alerts web page: fs.usda.gov/alerts/bighorn/alerts-notices.
US Highway 14 is closed at Granite Pass/Hunt Mountain Road/FS 10 (milepost 38.3). US Highway 14A is closed at Hunt Mountain Road/FS10 (milepost 85.6). View the Wyoming Department of Transportation road-closure map here: wyoroad.info. Sheridan County road closures have been modified. The following roads remain closed to allow fire personnel to travel the roads safely, ranchers in those areas to move cattle safely, and the residents who live in those areas to travel safely as well.
Soft Closures (roads are closed to the public except local residents):
All of Pass Creek Road to the Wyoming/Montana state line
All of Beckton Road
Slack Road at the Wyoming/Montana state line
Soldier Creek Road West from the Wolf Creek and Soldier Creek Road Intersection
Little Horn Canyon Road
Big Goose Road from the Intersection of Big Goose Road and Beckton Road
Twin Creek Road at the Parkman Access
Rapid Creek Road
Columbus Creek Road
Beckton Hall Road
Smith Creek Road
Big Horn Road
Tongue Canyon Road
Little Goose Canyon Road
Hard Closures (no public access):
All of Red Grade Road
Evacuation Shelter:
An emergency shelter has been established at the fairgrounds in Sheridan and can accommodate numerous people, campers, and animals. To plan for people or animals, call 307-752-2174 or 307-683-6965.
Elk Fire Information:
Phone: 307-303-7642 (8 am to 8 pm)
Email: 2024.Elk@firenet.gov
Linktree: linktr.ee/2024ElkFire
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Wyoming
Measles confirmed in Teton County, Wyoming, as summer crowds flock to parks – East Idaho News
JACKSON, Wyo. (WyoFile) — After confirming a case of measles in an unvaccinated adult in Teton County, Wyoming, health officials are warning the public about possible exposure at locations in Grand Teton National Park and Jackson.
The news comes as summer crowds flood the region with tourists from around the world.
The public may have been exposed between June 17-25 at several locations in Teton County, according to the Wyoming Health Department. They include restaurants in Grand Teton National Park’s Colter Bay Village on June 17-18; a Colter Bay convenience store on June 20 and the Target in Jackson on June 25.
“We are asking people who may have been exposed to watch for measles symptoms for 21 days past the exposure date and consider avoiding crowded public places and high-risk settings such as daycare centers,” State Health Officer Alexia Harrist said in a press release.
Monitoring is especially critical for people who have not been vaccinated with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, according to the health department.
It marks Wyoming’s second confirmed case of the highly contagious infection in 2026. Wyoming went 15 years without a confirmed case of measles until last year.
Resurgence
Health officials confirmed Wyoming’s first 2026 case in May. An adult patient in Fremont County who did not have a confirmed vaccination status caught the disease, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 — indicating no endemic transmission for 12 months or more. But it re-emerged in recent years primarily due to declining vaccination rates and increased public health skepticism. Those trends spawned during the COVID-19 pandemic and have persisted during the second Trump administration.
The neighboring state of Utah is one of America’s 2026 measles hotspots, with 499 cases reported so far this year.
RELATED | Anguished parents. Doctors in tears. Utah’s long measles outbreak takes a toll
A vaccination rate of 95% is necessary for community immunity to prevent measles outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In 2025, Wyoming’s proportion of kindergarten students who had completed the MMR vaccine was 93.6%, the CDC reports. That rate is higher than Colorado, Utah and Montana for the same year.
However, it’s declined overall since 2012-13, when Wyoming’s kindergarten vaccination rate was above 97%. It fell to 90.2% in 2020-21 before inching back up to the current 93.6%.
A measles case had not been reported in the state since 2010 until July 2025, when the health department confirmed measles in an unvaccinated child from Natrona County. By year’s end, 13 more cases were confirmed. The majority involved unvaccinated children and adults.
Along with being extremely contagious, measles can cause severe complications like pneumonia and brain swelling and can leave lasting impacts on the immune system. One to three out of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from complications, according to the CDC.
RELATED | The US is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status. Here’s why that matters
RELATED | Measles is not the only disease on the rise. Mumps also may be making a comeback
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GILLETTE, Wyo. — As the Aug. 18 primary election approaches, County 17 is introducing candidate questionnaires to help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box.
Every candidate in the primary field was sent the same three questions and given a limit of 500 words, which could be distributed among their answers as they saw fit. To ensure a fair and direct line to the community, all responses are published exactly as submitted, without edits or alterations.
Candidates were asked:
- What are the most crucial challenges your constituents are facing?
- If elected, how will you address these challenges?
- What qualities or qualifications do you possess that have prepared you to meet these challenges?
Questionnaires are being published on a rolling basis online through Aug. 11. They will be accessible via the County 17 Election Tracker.
Scott Smith (R), Wyoming state treasurer
What are the most crucial challenges your constituents are facing?
Everywhere I go many Wyoming citizens are concerned that our government is selling out our state lands to the highest bidder for crony capitalism. Some are concerned about Data Centers, Commercial Wind Generators, or nuclear waste storage. The biggest concern is the resources these outfits are taking, secondly, they are concerned about health issues related to living nearby, and lastly they are concerned with cost associated with these projects being passed onto the taxpayer.
If elected, how will you address these challenges?
One of the things that many people don’t know is that the State Treasurer sits on the State Land and Investment Board. (SLIB) The same issues that concern our citizens are the same reasons that I have decided to run for this office. The SLIB has voted to lease state lands to a hydrogen plant in Converse County that would take eight gallons of our valuable water to produce one gallon of hydrogen jet fuel using wind and solar generation to power the plant. These same elected officials have sold off $100 million of our state lands to the federal government. I believe that some things are not for sale. As Treasurer you can count on me to count the cost and listen to the people in the public testimony. If we are going to accept some of these projects the citizens need to have the benefit, like lower utility costs.
What qualities/qualifications do you possess that have prepared you to meet these challenges?
My bachelor’s degree is in Business Administration with an emphasis in management and marketing. I will be a leader in the state treasurer’s office that creates a positive work environment that will allow our investment team to create higher returns on the people’s money that the state invests. I would like to work with the legislature to use these interest earnings to buy down the people’s property taxes to alleviate part of the burden inflation has caused on the average citizen. My day job, I work as a bookkeeper and work with numbers day in and day out and have corrected some inefficiencies to help small businesses become more profitable. I plan to do that within the state office and make those profits available to the legislature to reduce the tax burden for the people. I have also served in the Wyoming House of Representatives for Goshen County and I have served on the Appropriations Committee and I am familiar with the massive state budget.
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