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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
The Colorado Lee fire has scorched over 88,000 acres. The blaze is so big, it's creating its own weather system
The Lee fire burning in northwestern Colorado has scorched over 88,000 acres in less than a week—and is now so large it is creating its own weather system, officials said. High winds and dry conditions are fueling the flames of the Lee fire, which is now the sixth-largest in Colorado's history. As of Saturday evening, the fire had burned through 88,755 acres and was zero percent contained, according to an update on InciWeb, a government website that tracks fires. Extreme fire activity has started to create its own weather system, Tyler Nathe, Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team's operations chief, said in an update Friday. 'It built up what we like to call a pyrocumulus cloud. That's where it punched up above 30,000 feet,' Nathe said. 'When it does that phenomenon, it starts to create its own weather at that point, and so it was creating some additional outflow and inflow winds at ground level, which was increasing the fire behavior as the main fire front was moving down to the southeast.' More than 700 firefighters are battling the fire, which started after a lightning strike west of the town of Meeker a week ago. Evacuation orders are in place for residents in the Rio Blanco and Garfield counties area as a red flag weather warning continues. Elsewhere, a brush fire in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles forced thousands of people to evacuate as firefighters worked to get it under control. Hundreds of firefighters battled the Canyon Fire after it ignited Thursday afternoon in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, as temperatures hit 100 degrees mixed with strong winds. By Saturday, the Canyon fire was winding down and officials lifted the evacuation orders. Meanwhile, the Dragon Bravo fire on the north rim of the Grand Canyon continues to burn a month on. The blaze, which started because of a lightning strike, has scorched 141,147 acres as of August 9 and is 36 percent contained, according to officials.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
San Juan County wildfire grows to 7,200 acres, remains 0% contained, fire officials say
The Deer Creek Fire has grown to 7,200 acres, with five structures destroyed and 10 others damaged on Saturday. The fire started Thursday on private property in the La Sal area — a small community located between Moab and Monticello — quickly growing in size. Fire behavior has been erratic over the past couple of days, with shifting winds pushing flames into forested areas, according to a Saturday update from state fire officials at Utah Fire Info. Evacuations remain in effect for residents within 5 miles of the wildfire, or from Upper 2 Mile Road to the Utah-Colorado border, according to the update. The fire remains 0% contained Saturday afternoon, with teams focusing on protecting structures, fire officials said. A briefing was held Saturday morning with a Great Basin Incident Management Team, which will assume command on Sunday, the update states. Fire acreage is expected to be updated again Friday evening, officials said. The cause of the fire remained undetermined Saturday. This story will be updated.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greer Fire: What to know about Arizona wildfire as it spreads to over 18,000 acres
Firefighters held containment lines around the Greer Fire on May 17, which had burned a total of 18,617 acres by the end of its sixth day. Though that marked an increase of nearly 3,000 acres from the previous day, the fire has not grown into a massive event like the 2011 Wallow Fire, which scorched more than half a million acres in the same region. Crews continued to protect structures and hold the fire back, despite facing strong wind gusts expected to persist for several more days. An afternoon update on social media by the Southwest Area Incident Management Team reported that "all lines have held, despite the increased winds and crews are reporting that things are looking good around the fire." The good news for area residents came after Gov. Katie Hobbs visited the area and, earlier in the day, declared a state of emergency that will release $200,000 in state funds to the firefighting effort. High winds have fueled the Greer Fire from the beginning, leaving communities like Greer, Eagar and Springerville on edge. The National Weather Service forecast strong wind gusts continuing through the night of May 17 and lasting at least through Monday, raising the risk of embers igniting new fires. In response, fire managers used the forecasts to their advantage, conducting controlled burns to reduce available fuel and slow the fire's spread. In a video posted to social media on May 17, Mike Wallace, operations section chief for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, explained how firefighters used both hand ignition and drone-based "aerial ignition" to build a "good buffer" ahead of anticipated winds. These buffer zones, he said, are designed to help protect the 26 Bar community, Springerville, and other areas to the east — giving fire crews a 'higher probability of success' in holding the line. Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency over the Greer Fire on May 17, releasing an emergency fund of $200,000 to help support the state's response to the fire, then toured parts of the area. Fire officials told her the weather remained an extreme concern and they had plans to evacuate local communities in a worst-case scenario. "I don't want to jinx anything, so I'm going to knock on this plastic table and pretend it's wood," Hobbs told them. Major highways in eastern Arizona remain closed because of the fire and won't reopen until further notice. The Arizona Department of Transportation reports: State Route 260 is closed in both directions between mileposts 380 and 395. State Route 373's southbound lane is closed between mileposts 385 and 390. State Route 261 is closed in both directions between mileposts 394 and 412. Reach the reporter at rstern@ or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern. A personal take: A terrible Arizona wildfire broke my heart. How my daughter gave me hope as new blaze rages This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Day 6 of the Greer Fire in eastern Arizona: What to know
