While the East Coast was affected by hurricane season, Wyoming faced serious fires. The lightning-caused Elk fire started September 27, and over 500 firefighters relentlessly tried to stop it.

“I don’t really know anyone who’s been, like, affected by the fire,” Logan Badura said, “But I know a person that lives by me over in Clark and runs one the crews on the fire. It hasn’t really been impacting me at all; it just is smokey everywhere I go.” 

One problem for agriculture instructor, Mr. Ben Curdy, is the fire’s impact on hunting up in the Bighorns. 

“I have some friends and acquaintances who have elk tags for that specific area,” Curdy said. “I think there should be some way for the licenses and tags [for the Bighorn area] to be traded in. I also think that a lot of business is being affected by the lack of hunters in that area.” 

It seems like the main thing that the smoke affects is sports. 

“We did have to cancel a game because of the fires,” Athletic Director Mr. Richard Despain said. “We had game officials coming over from Sheridan to officiate a game, and since the roads are closed on the best route from there, they could not make it in time to officiate a game. Coach Eams on the other side of the Big Horns lost some games as well. I think things are looking better right now.”

Senior cross country runner Kenna Jacobsen struggled in practice because of the air quality. 

“The smoke in the air has affected my lungs when I run,” Jacobsen said. “At practice, it makes it harder to breathe.”

Mr. Despain also praised the efforts of the many firefighters risking their lives to save others.  

“Those folks that are in charge of that kind of thing are pretty good at what they do,” Despain said. “My understanding is that the fire hit several areas that are really hard to reach, so selective logging and fire suppression is really hard to do in areas the fire started in. It is listed as having been caused by lightning too, and you can’t prevent that. I hope folks keep following the posted fire regulations and are smart while camping to keep avoiding fires, but in a dry year, it can get bad.”

At the end of October, the Elk Fire had burned almost 10,000 acres and had destroyed many homes and farms, but thanks to the brave firefighters working to stop it, it was 81% contained.