Colorado residents "nervous" as wildfire comes close to town of Meeker on the Western Slope
Several small neighborhoods outside of the town limits have been evacuated as the fire made a serious run Wednesday along Highway 13. The town of Meeker itself is standing by on a "set" status.
The American Red Cross has set up a shelter for evacuees at Moffat County High School in Craig.
Fire managers said on Wednesday night they are confident they will be able to prevent the fire from reaching the Rio Blanco County seat.
The weather conditions are making the firefight challenging. Dry conditions are leading the fire to still rage in the nighttime hours when most wildfires usually settle down to a degree.
"I'm feeling a little bit nervous, so I'm not going to lie," Joshua Quinn, who lives in the Meeker area, said on Wednesday as he watched flames marching closer to the town and heavy smoke filling the air.
Sue Sprod lives close to Meeker and watched the "flames come over the hogback."
"We feel like we do have a good buffer zone but I did get a little nervous this afternoon watching," she said.
Sprod attended a community meeting Wednesday evening at Meeker High School led by fire managers, local law enforcement and U.S. Forest Service officials. They braced the community for the likelihood of several more days of high winds and dry conditions.
The fire managers reiterated at the meeting that the buffer between the Lee Fire and the town of Meeker is holding.
While the town waits on standby for evacuation, some in Rio Blanco County have already been pushed from their homes, like Stanton Gould.
"I've been wrestling all my life and it's like sitting at a wrestling match, not knowing who you're going to wrestle in the next round," he said.
Stanton says he's hopeful his home is still standing at the end of this, but he still has what counts.
"I'd be more broken if it was a person or something. Everything you can replace, all it takes is money," Stanton said.
Another wildfire is also burning close to Meeker but it isn't currently posing a threat to the town. The Elk Fire is located southeast of the town.
During the day on Wednesday Gov. Jared Polis expanded an emergency declaration that was issued for the Elk Fire to include the Lee Fire.
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