Colorado · Active · 7,337 acres
Elk Fire, Colorado
7,337
Acres reported
35%
Contained
−37
Acres since yesterday
Last updated · refreshed every 15 minutes from the NIFC WFIGS feed · awareness only — follow local authorities
Update ·
As of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC, the Elk Fire is listed as active at 7,337 acres, 35% contained, in Hinsdale County, Colorado.
Since Aug 17, 2026, 09:00 UTC: −37 acres.
The most recent mapped perimeter (Aug 17, 2026, 20:46 UTC) covers 7,337 acres; the mapped perimeter has been updated 47 times since the fire began.
No satellite heat detections matched to this incident in the last 24 hours (last one Aug 11, 2026, 10:00 UTC).
Elk Fire map
The most recent mapped perimeter (solid) and the previous day's perimeter (dashed), with the reported point of origin.
Latest perimeter Previous perimeter · Perimeters come from the WFIGS interagency perimeter service and are usually mapped once a day; the mapped area can differ from the reported acreage.
Key facts
- Size
- 7,337 acres
- Containment
- 35%
- Status
- Active
- Discovered
- Jul 9, 2026
- Location
- Hinsdale County, Colorado
- Origin point
- 38.1242, -107.3548
- Peak reported size
- 7,404 acres
- Perimeter mapped
- Aug 17, 2026 (13 hours ago)
- Satellite heat, 24 h
- none matched
Nearest towns
Distances are from the reported point of origin, not from the fire’s edge (see the perimeter map for the current extent).
- Ouray, CO
- Telluride, CO
- Mountain Village, CO
- Gunnison, CO
- Montrose, CO
Other fires nearby
Elk Fire daily history
The largest size and containment reported each UTC day, from our 15-minute archive of the federal feed (first seen Jul 9, 2026, 18:00 UTC).
| Day (UTC) | Reported size | Change | Contained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2026 | 7,374 acres | 0 | 35% |
| Aug 17, 2026 | 7,374 acres | 0 | 35% |
| Aug 16, 2026 | 7,374 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 15, 2026 | 7,374 acres | −30 | — |
| Aug 14, 2026 | 7,404 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 13, 2026 | 7,404 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 12, 2026 | 7,404 acres | +178 | — |
| Aug 11, 2026 | 7,226 acres | +155 | — |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 7,071 acres | +311 | — |
| Aug 9, 2026 | 6,760 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 8, 2026 | 6,760 acres | +1,643 | — |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 5,117 acres | +2,206 | — |
| Aug 6, 2026 | 2,911 acres | +126 | — |
| Aug 5, 2026 | 2,785 acres | +379 | — |
| Aug 4, 2026 | 2,406 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 2,406 acres | +57 | — |
| Aug 2, 2026 | 2,349 acres | +30 | — |
| Aug 1, 2026 | 2,319 acres | +2 | — |
| Jul 31, 2026 | 2,317 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 30, 2026 | 2,317 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 29, 2026 | 2,317 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 2,317 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 2,317 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 26, 2026 | 2,317 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 25, 2026 | 2,317 acres | +7 | — |
| Jul 24, 2026 | 2,310 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 23, 2026 | 2,310 acres | +3 | — |
| Jul 22, 2026 | 2,307 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 21, 2026 | 2,307 acres | +7 | — |
| Jul 20, 2026 | 2,300 acres | +26 | — |
| Jul 19, 2026 | 2,274 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 18, 2026 | 2,274 acres | +75 | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | 2,199 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 16, 2026 | 2,199 acres | +219 | — |
| Jul 15, 2026 | 1,980 acres | +1,406 | — |
| Jul 14, 2026 | 574 acres | +86 | — |
| Jul 13, 2026 | 488 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 12, 2026 | 488 acres | +238 | — |
| Jul 11, 2026 | 250 acres | +246 | — |
| Jul 10, 2026 | 4.0 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 9, 2026 | 4.0 acres | — | — |
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Elk Fire questions, answered from the data
How big is the Elk Fire?
As of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC, the Elk Fire is reported at 7,337 acres (peak reported size 7,404 acres). Since Aug 17, 2026, 09:00 UTC: −37 acres.
Is the Elk Fire contained?
Not fully. It was 35% contained as of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC. Containment is the share of the fire's edge that has a control line; it is reported by the incident team and can lag the ground situation.
Where is the Elk Fire?
The reported point of origin is at 38.1242, -107.3548 in Hinsdale County, Colorado. Nearest towns: Ouray (19 mi W), Telluride (28 mi SW), Mountain Village (30 mi SW). The map on this page shows the most recent mapped perimeter.
Is the Elk Fire still burning?
The federal feed still lists it as active as of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC; no satellite heat detections were matched to it in the last 24 hours.
Where do I find evacuation orders for the Elk Fire?
From the county sheriff and local emergency management, not from this site. Check the official Colorado sources on our Colorado page and your county’s alert system. FireRiskHere is for awareness only.
How current is this page?
The numbers come from the National Interagency Fire Center's WFIGS incident feed and the WFIGS perimeter service, refreshed every 15 minutes, plus NASA FIRMS satellite detections hourly. This page was last updated Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC. Acreage and containment are what the incident team reports and can lag by hours.
About this page
This page is generated automatically for every wildfire whose reported size reaches 1,000 acres, from FireRiskHere’s archive of the National Interagency Fire Center’s WFIGS incident feed (captured every 15 minutes), the WFIGS interagency perimeter service, and NASA FIRMS satellite detections. It stays online after the fire is contained as a record of the incident. Nothing here is an official notice — for evacuation orders and road closures follow your county sheriff and local emergency management. How the site works →