It’s not every day that weather forecasts predicting 7-13 inches of snow cause homeowners to stand up and cheer, even if they do happen to live somewhere near a ski resort. But cheering is what people in the Wagon Box Restaurant in Story, Wyoming, were doing when they saw the updated weather forecasts coming across their smartphones from the National Weather Service in Billings for the Bighorn Mountains.
People around the restaurant stopped whatever they were doing to stare at their smartphones as the prediction came across. Some were just nodding their heads and smiling, while others were outright cheering, exclaiming, “Look at that!” and “Great!” Some even went so far as to hope that the amount would exceed 13 inches.
Other people around the region in northern Wyoming area near the Elk Fire also took to Facebook to post their own heartfelt rain and snow wishes.
Their cheers are because of the Elk Fire threatening Story, Big Horn, and other small communities in western Sheridan County. The volatile and unpredictable fire has so far burned more than 92,000 acres and is only 28% contained. The snow is expected to be a huge help to the firefighting effort.
“Chance of ‘frozen mix’ on Friday,” wrote Pamela Collette Overton on her Facebook Page. “Our Big Horn Mountains won’t look the same, but in due time will be beautiful once again! A big thank you to all the personnel fighting this! Friends, pray for rain and/or snow!”
The moment didn’t last long, but it did seem to lighten the mood in this mountain community, which, like it’s sister Bighorn Mountain communities, has been living under a veil of smoke for the past three weeks since the Elk Fire started Sept. 27.
Overnight Tuesday, fire officials reported that the Elk Fire’s misbehaving teenager ways were minimal. That allowed hotshot crews to do some work along the fire’s edge at Rapid Creek, keeping it from crossing overnight.
On the northwest side, different crews were simultaneously working to contain a 5-acre spot fire that managed to cross the 144 Road.
Throughout the day, Hotel Division continued work along Red Grade Road, widening it and removing fuels as they prepare a “catcher’s mitt” that they hope will finally stop the fire’s southern progression and turn it back in on itself.
Work was also completed to further secure the edge of a 7-mile-long strip of intentionally burned land from the Big Goose Creek water intake facility to Red Grade Road.
Patrols will continue there today, and crews will work to mop up any hotspots in the area.
Snow Still Won’t Be A Fire-Killer
Everyone in the area has heard more than once that it will take a season-ending event to put the lights out on the Elk Fire, which is at 92,487 acres so far and growing.
Unfortunately, Elk Fire officials do not believe the chilly, two-day, snowy weather event, expected to begin Thursday afternoon and continue through Friday, is likely to do the trick.
“This is most likely not a season-ender,” Diane Mann-Klager told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday morning. “They have not used that term at all. This is a significant amount of snow, but they will wait to see how long it’s going to last.”
The duration of the cold snow blanket is the real determinant, Mann-Klager said, rather than the amount of snow.
Cowboy State Daily requested to speak to the Elk Fire meteorologist about his predictions but was declined.
“What they’ve been telling us is that it will definitely moderate some of the fire behavior,” she said. “But it’s more the duration. How long do we think that blanket of snow will be up there, because it needs to smother.”
Two chilly days with snow isn’t seen as a long enough trend, particularly given that it will be followed by a significantly warmer trend almost immediately after.
“They won’t be the ones who make the call on if this is a season-ending event,” Mann-Klager added. “They leave that to the Forest (Service) itself. Because they understand what’s up there and what it takes. So, we would leave that message for them to determine.”
A firefighter gives a homeowner a big thumbs up in their home web camera in the Red Grade Road area. (Courtesy Alexis Wickard Nikirk) 
Firefighters working on fire protection for a home in the Red Grade Road area, as seen from a homeowner's exterior camera. (Courtesy Alexis Wickard Nikirk) 
Firefighters working on fire protection for a home in the Red Grade Road area, as seen from a homeowner's exterior camera. (Courtesy Alexis Wickard Nikirk)
Praying Hard For Snow For Red Grade Road
Alexis Wickard Nikirk, who lives in Sheridan, manages some homes in the Red Grade Road area. She told Cowboy State Daily she’s “never prayed for snow so hard.”
Nikirk has had a ringside view of the action on Red Grade Road these past two weeks, thanks to some home video cameras at the properties she manages. Up until she took the batteries out, she’s been able to see everything that’s going on around the homes, and it’s been heartening.
“The best photo I have is of a firefighter giving us a thumbs up,” she said. “It was truly amazing to watch them move in and set up that big red water tank, and then they literally put sprinklers around every barn, propane, tank and house.”
The photo of a firefighter giving her a big thumbs up, though, brought her to tears.
“I seriously cried,” she said. “These guys and gals are amazing. The homeowners are in France for a year on a work assignment and this picture just melted their hearts! They will forever be grateful for these crews.”
Nikirk has personally seen through the home video cameras that fire crews are keeping a close eye on the places she manages along Red Grade Road, but the most comforting of all to her has just been the waves and the smiles.
“That just kind of reassured us that they know what they’re doing,” she said. “Before they closed the road down, I went in and filled the kitchen with a bunch of snacks and drinks for them to enjoy while they’re up there.”
Intentional Power Outage
Eventually, Nikirk decided she should take the batteries out of the camera in case the fire was to get near the homes. The batteries could explode, making things dangerous for firefighters.
“We haven’t had power since Monday because our house runs completely off grid,” she said. “So, we didn’t want to cause a bigger problem if the fire did reach the house, and the batteries started to explode.”
When MDU shut off the power grid, Nikirk found herself back in the Red Grade homes, emptying out their freezers. Luckily, she had more deep freezes available at her own home to store all of that stuff at a different location.
“This has all been very stressful,” she said. “I’ve got two other properties in that same area and one of them is right off the road from where they started all the burning off of Red Grade. So that was a little nerve-wracking to watch from afar all the fire lines that were being made.”
Still, Nikirk said she is feeling confident of all the work done along Red Grade Road and said that she’s grateful for all the care and effort she’s seen the firefighters making.
What’s Happening Today
The Red Grade Road work will continue Wednesday, for as long as weather will permit. Firefighters are in the Poverty Flats area, where they continue adding more structure protection measures around homes, just as they did with Nikirk’s. That work includes clearing more flammable debris, as well as adding sprinklers, hoses and pumps so that the entire area around the home can be wetted down.
In addition to depriving the fire of fuel, that also boosts the humidity in those areas, taking some punch out of the fire in the immediate vicinity, should it get to that point.
Heavy equipment operators are also continuing their work along the Red Grade Road itself, removing trees with a feller buncher, as well as stripping away brush and other vegetation from the edges of Red Grade Road. The clearing work is to continue all the way west, to U.S. Highway 14.
On the west side of the Elk Fire, firing operations were conducted along 168 Road, north of Burgess Junction, securing black lines created in the area.
The northwest corner of the fire, near Broderick flats, where wind caused some spot fires, were put out overnight with the assistance of helicopter water drops.
The Elk Fire has an aerial assault team of 13 aircraft — more than most fires — and that’s because of all the assets that are at risk.
Fire activity is expected to increase early Wednesday, thanks to southwest wind gusts up to 25 to 30 mph hour and high temperatures up to 80 degrees.
Patrols will continue along the containment line, which stretches from the northeast corner of the fire down to Soldier Creek, and includes the Tongue Canyon area, to ensure there’s no fire spotting over the line.
U.S. Highway 14 remains closed between Burgess Junction and Dayton. For the most up-to-date road closure information, view Wyoming Department of Transportation’s road-closure map. For evacuations, visit Sheridan County’s Emergency Management website or Johnson County’s Emergency Management Facebook page.
Contact Renee Jean at renee@cowboystatedaily.com
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
