Colorado wildfire updates: Lee Fire grows to 5th largest in state history, Craig fire controlled
The Lee Fire in Rio Blanco County near Meeker grew Sunday to become the 5th largest wildfire in Colorado history, while fires in Archuleta and Moffat counties prompted evacuations of several towns.
Colorado Wildfire Map
More than 1,000 personnel are working on the fires, and Gov. Jared Polis has declared disaster emergencies for several of the fires.
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CBS News
35 minutes ago
- CBS News
Lee Fire now fifth-largest single wildfire in Colorado history. These are the other four.
The Lee Fire near Meeker is now over 113,000 acres, fire maps show, and has surpassed the Spring Creek Fire of 2018 as the state's fifth-largest wildfire. Over 1,000 firefighters and a dozen aircraft are involved in efforts to contain and extinguish the fire, along with the nearby Elk Fire. A number of evacuations have already been ordered. For a live, interactive evacuation zone map, you can click here. The size of the fire has exploded since growing from 13,000 to almost 23,000 acres on Aug. 6, when Gov. Jared Polis issued an emergency disaster declaration. It has grown steadily in the days since, breaking 100,000 acres on Sunday. The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control maintains a list of the largest wildfires in the state's history. A quick overview of the agency's data shows the following: No homes have been lost in the fire, but several structures have been damaged. A full accounting of the damage likely can't be completed until the fire is extinguished, and as of Monday afternoon, it was only 7% contained. The most destructive fires in the state's history so far are as follows: At its current size on Monday, only four fires in state history are larger than the Lee Fire, although the West Fork Complex of 2013 comprised several fires in close proximity to one another, including the West Fork Fire at 58,570 acres and the Papoose Fire at 49,628 acres. Some rankings group the fires all as one, but the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control categorizes and ranks them separately. That agency's list shows the following four fires as being the only ones larger than the Lee Fire: Weather conditions are not expected to help containment efforts for some time, with relatively low humidity and winds of 7 to 10 mph until Friday. "Near critical fire weather will return today," the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team said in a statement. "This will include low relative humidity, periods of gusty winds from the north and clouds in the late afternoon. Critical dry fuels with the expected weather could result in extreme fire behavior in some areas of the Lee Fire." There will be a community meeting about the Lee Fire at 7 p.m. on Monday at Colorado Mountain College's Rifle Campus, 3695 Airport Road, where fire officials will provide updates to the public and answer any questions that community members have.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Colorado National Guard mobilized to support Elk, Lee fire suppression efforts
DENVER (KDVR) — On Wednesday night, Gov. Jared Polis authorized the mobilization of the Colorado National Guard to aid with fire response near Meeker. The authorization allows the state authority to use the National Guard assets in fire suppression efforts if necessary. More evacuations ordered for multiple wildfires in Colorado The Governor's Office noted that the wind has continued to drive the Rio Blanco County fires, pushing the Lee Fire to jump Highway 13 on Wednesday and leading to the area around Meeker being evacuated and the town of Meeker being placed on pre-evacuation status. The Lee Fire, as of Wednesday evening, was estimated to have burned 45,000 acres, according to the Colorado Governor's Office. Over the weekend, Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency for the Elk Fire in Rio Blanco County, which is still burning southeast of Meeker. That declaration was updated on Tuesday to include the Lee Fire, which had previously been burning only on Bureau of Land Management lands. State Emergency Operations and Resource Mobilization Plans were also activated with the disaster declaration. A link to view the live evacuations map in Rio Blanco County is available here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
More evacuations ordered for multiple wildfires in Colorado
DENVER (KDVR) — As crews continue to battle wildfires across the state, more evacuations and pre-evacuations have been ordered due to several fires growing in size. Multiple agencies in different jurisdictions around Colorado ordered a new round of evacuations and pre-evacuations on Wednesday afternoon. Free on Your TV • New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Rio Blanco County: Lee and Elk Fires There are two large wildfires in Rio Blanco County that have burned more than 30,000 acres. Evacuations have already been sent for certain areas in the county, and the Rio Blanco Sheriff's Office continued with more evacuations and pre-evacuations on Wednesday. Zone 40 Zone 40 is located southwest of Meeker and just east of Lion Canyon. The area contains a stretch of Highway 13. Immediate evacuations are ordered for the area. Zone 40 can be viewed on the Rio Blanco County website. Zone 41 Zone 41 is a pre-evacuation order. The sheriff's office said to begin packing belongings, and if anyone is in need of more time, begin leaving already. Zone 41 is just north of Zone 40 and covers a large portion of Meeker. The sheriff's office said that grass and irrigated fields are holding the fire well, but the potential for it to jump is why pre-evacuations are ordered. Grand County The Grand County Sheriff's Office said that pre-evacuations have been issued because the Windy Gap Fire has grown in size. The office said to begin packing the essentials and pay close attention to its social media page or GCEmergency's website. Zone G41 Zone G41 covers a large south-to-north area located west of the Willow Creek Reservoir. An evacuation map can be found on the Grand County Sheriff's Office website. Zone G48 Zone G48 is also on pre-evacuation orders. The zone covers the area west of Granby. Road closings in Grand County The Colorado Department of Transportation has closed Highway 40 in both directions between Drowsey Water and Colorado 125, located a few miles west of Granby. County Road 57 has been designated as the alternative route. Commercial vehicles are prohibited from driving on this route. Crews are on the scene of a small wildland fire near Windy Gap. A small portion of Highway 40 is reduced to one lane, and traffic will alternate heading in different directions. Evacuations and pre-evacuations are subject to change, and this article will be updated as information about evacuations is shared. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
