← All active wildfires

Elk Fire

Hinsdale County, Colorado · Wildfire

2,199 acres 0% contained First reported 10 days ago

Elk Fire and other nearby fires

🔥 This fire Mostly contained Partly contained Containment not reported

Drag or zoom the map to see more fires in the area.

Elk Fire summary

Screenshot this to text your family.

The Elk Fire is a wildfire near Hinsdale County, Colorado. It has burned about 2,199 acres (about 2,000 football fields). Crews have boxed in 0% of its edge; the other 100% isn't contained yet. It was first reported 10 days ago. About 294 people are on it, run by a Complex Incident Management Team. We're also tracking 4 other active fires within about 75 miles.

Size
2,199 acres
Containment
0%
Discovered
July 9, 2026 (first reported 10 days ago)
Cause
Not reported

The size and containment above are current as of Saturday, July 18th at 3:28 p.m. CDT.

Weather & fire-spread conditions

No Red Flag Warning. The National Weather Service hasn't flagged this area for dangerous fire-spread conditions right now.

Hot, dry, and windy weather can help a fire grow; cool, calm, or wet weather helps crews. The tags below rate each day for fire spread — green is calm, red can push a fire.

A general fire-weather guide (wind matters most, then how dry it is, then heat), not a prediction of what this fire will do.

This Afternoon

60°F · Showers And Thunderstorms Likely

Wind 5 mph NNE · 69% chance of rain

Wind: Calm Heat: Cool Rain likely

Tonight

46°F · Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy

Wind 5 mph SSW · 46% chance of rain

Wind: Calm Heat: Cool Some rain

Sunday

62°F · Mostly Sunny then Patchy Smoke

Wind 5 mph NE · 45% chance of rain

Wind: Calm Heat: Cool Some rain

Sunday Night

48°F · Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy

Wind 5 mph WSW · 25% chance of rain

Wind: Calm Heat: Cool Some rain

Monday

64°F · Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

Wind 5 to 10 mph NNW · 39% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Some rain

Forecast from the National Weather Service (weather.gov), pulled Saturday, July 18th at 3:33 p.m. CDT.

Who's on it

About 294 people are assigned to this fire, run by a Complex Incident Management Team. The government rates it a Type 2 Incident. About $6 million has been spent on it so far.

The official feed reports the total headcount, not a breakdown by crew type.

Where to get live updates

We show the daily official picture. For minute-by-minute updates, evacuation orders, and maps, these do it best:

You could be on the crew fighting fires like this.

No experience needed to start. See what's open and what it pays.

See firefighter jobs in Colorado

Nearby fires to Elk Fire

Within about 75 miles we're tracking 4 other active fires, closest first:

See all active fires in Colorado →