Colorado · Active · 7,257 acres
Elk Fire, Colorado
7,257
Acres reported
90%
Contained
0
Acres since yesterday
Last updated · refreshed every 15 minutes from the NIFC WFIGS feed · awareness only — follow local authorities
Update ·
As of Oct 2, 2026, 11:15 UTC, the Elk Fire is listed as active at 7,257 acres, 90% contained, in Hinsdale County, Colorado.
Since Oct 1, 2026, 11:15 UTC: no change in size, containment +17 pts.
The most recent mapped perimeter (Aug 23, 2026, 22:31 UTC) covers 7,257 acres; the mapped perimeter has been updated 56 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).
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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
- 7,257 acres
- Containment
- 90%
- 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 23, 2026 (40 days 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 timeline
Day by day: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 90% |
| Oct 1, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 90% |
| Sep 30, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 29, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 28, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 26, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 25, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 24, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 23, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 22, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 21, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 20, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 19, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 18, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 17, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 16, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 15, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 13, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 12, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 10, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 9, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 7, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 6, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 5, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 4, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Sep 3, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 73% |
| Aug 25, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 33% |
| Aug 24, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 33% |
| Aug 23, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 33% |
| Aug 22, 2026 | 7,257 acres | 0 | 33% |
| Aug 21, 2026 | 7,257 acres | −24 | 33% |
| Aug 20, 2026 | 7,281 acres | −56 | 35% |
| Aug 19, 2026 | 7,337 acres | −37 | 35% |
| 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 Oct 2, 2026, 11:15 UTC, the Elk Fire is reported at 7,257 acres (peak reported size 7,404 acres). Since Oct 1, 2026, 11:15 UTC: no change in size, containment +17 pts.
Is the Elk Fire contained?
Not fully. It was 90% contained as of Oct 2, 2026, 11:15 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 Oct 2, 2026, 11:15 UTC; no satellite heat detections were matched to it in the last 24 hours.
What is the timeline of the Elk Fire?
The Elk Fire was first listed in the federal feed Jul 9, 2026, 18:00 UTC (reported discovery date Jul 9, 2026). As of Oct 2, 2026, 11:15 UTC it is still listed at 7,257 acres, 90% contained. The timeline table on this page shows the size and containment reported each UTC day across 77 days of archive.
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 Oct 2, 2026, 11:15 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 →