Communication about the Elk Fire and any fire is important for everyone in the area and some of the information goes out through broadcasters.
The equipment to make that happen was potentially threatened by the fire this past weekend.
The Elk fire on the Wyoming-Montana border burned almost 3,000 more acres since Thursday morning.
The latest report shows it has burned 79,280 acres and is now 14 percent contained.
The fire was sparked by lightning nearly two weeks ago.
There are currently more than 900 fire personnel battling the fire.
The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office encourages everyone to monitor its website for the most up-to-date information.
Firefighter have been working to protect TV and radio towers, on which emergency personnel rely, primary residences, and the Big Goose Water Treatment Plant.
“Any fire, that’s one of the key things we look to protect,” said Chief Jon Warder, Big Horn Volunteer Fire Department. “A critical value at risk is what we’d call it.”
Firefighters have been working to clear trees and brush close by and in the watershed above the water facility.
“We are actually going to be starting to implement some strategic firing actions in Big Goose Canyon to slowly take fire up the hill towards that main body of the fire at a controlled rate,” Kristie Thompson, Elk Fire public information officer, said earlier this week. “So that way it does not have the energy to quickly burn down the mountain.”
Besides the fire, the concern is that sediment could get into the water and shut down the plant.
Big Goose supplies water to Sheridan, Big Horn, and much of Sheridan County.
The tower on Bosin Rock, about five miles from Bighorn and 10 to 15 miles southwest of Sheridan, had to be protected.
Red Grade Road is closed and the engineers will need an escort if they need to work up there.
Mark Huller, KTVQ director of Engineering, says the fire crews are doing everything they can to keep broadcasters on the Bosin Rock site on the air.
“Some of those are emergency services from your building at KTVQ to others,” Warder said.
It’s a cinderblock building with a rubberized roof, the plywood base and the roof needed to be wrapped with foil.
“There are a couple of things that we had to put structure wrap on which is like a heavy-duty foil to protect them from embers,” Warder said.
KTVQ engineers say the tower is solid and would take a very hot fire to do any damage.
Another critical win for fire crews in this fight against the fire.
“Telecommunications, to be able to get information out is very important, much like that watershed,” Thompson said. “It is a priority.”