Elk Fire spreads in Bighorn National Forest

A fire west of Dayton is quickly growing, aided by summer-like conditions and steep, heavily wooded terrain, making fighting challenging.

The Elk Fire began Friday morning with a believed lightning strike near Riley Point and West Pass in the Bighorn National Forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The Elk Fire has spread to 466 acres in heavy dead and down timber.

According to a Forest Service statement, three hand crews, one engine, two pieces of heavy equipment and three helicopters were fighting the blaze Saturday afternoon, with the main objective to "protect critical values at risk. "

The fire threatened two cow camps and a radio repeater site on Saturday.

The Forest Service said that in an effort to fully suppress the blaze, "the team is utilizing all available tactics with firefighter and public safety as the primary decision driver."

Retardant dropped Friday effectively prevented growth to the north and west and ground crews with air support will continue working over the weekend to build a perimeter.

"With summer-like temperatures, the fire was very active yesterday growing from about an acre to over 400 acres in about 12 hours. The fire is burning in steep terrain with heavy timber including dead and down trees," the Forest Service said.

Conditions remain conducive to the fire's spread. Hot and dry weather is expected over the weekend, and winds may pick up as a cold front enters the area.

On Saturday, Forest System Roads 145, 150, 114 and portions of 168 along with Forest System Trails 201, 077, and 428 were closed to public entry.

To check on air quality conditions and smoke movement, visit the AirNow website at .

The Forest Service asks the public to respect closure orders and avoid travel in the general area of the fire "to protect firefighter and visitor safety."

If you need to remove personal equipment from the closure area, or roads behind it, contact 307-683-7019.

The fire was zero percent contained on Saturday afternoon.