More evacuation orders rolled out across Colorado’s Western Slope on Wednesday as five wildfires burned across hundreds of square miles.
Colorado’s largest active wildfire reached the Garfield County line on Wednesday, prompting officials to scale up evacuation orders for people living northwest of Rifle.
New mandatory evacuation zones for the Lee fire include approximate boundaries of the Garfield and Rio Blanco county line to the north, Roan Cliffs Road to the east, Long Ridge to the south and Garfield County roads 401, 402 and 403 to the west.
The Lee fire and nearby Elk fire have destroyed at least five homes and 14 outbuildings in Rio Blanco County, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday night.
Farther north, ordered mandatory evacuations as the Crosho fire more than doubled in size Wednesday, burning on 1,700 acres across the Rio Blanco County line and forcing evacuations east of Crosho Lake to Routt County Road 17.
Updated s are available online.
The five wildfires — the Lee, Elk, Oak, Stoner Mesa and Crosho fires — have charred more than 146,000 acres, or 228 square miles, on the Western Slope in recent days.
Jump to: Lee and Elk fires | Oak fire | Stoner Mesa fire | Crosho fire | Statewide impacts
The Lee and Elk fires near Meeker
Hot, dry and windy continued to challenge firefighters battling Colorado’s largest active wildfire burning between Meeker and Rifle on the Western Slope on Wednesday.
Containment on the 123,222-acre Lee fire dropped to 4% as the wildfire pushed south to the Garfield County line for the first time, forcing for people living near the Rio Blanco County border. The fire grew by more than 3,000 acres on Wednesday.
Firefighters are working on holding fire lines along Colorado 13 and establishing lines to the south by using roads, trails and other natural features, fire officials said in an update Wednesday.
Multiple days of red-flag weather conditions combined with drought-stricken trees and brush have created “near-impossible conditions” for firefighters, operations chief Tyler Nathe said during a Tuesday night briefing.
“It’s a pretty challenging environment and it wants to move, and we’re still in those conditions,” Nathe said.
Fire conditions could cause the blaze to send up large plumes of smoke and create its own weather with pyrocumulus clouds, officials said.
Along with the smaller Elk fire, the two lightning-sparked wildfires burning on either side of Meeker have charred more than 137,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Lee fire has destroyed three homes and 12 outbuildings while the Elk fire has destroyed two homes and two outbuildings, Rio Blanco County Sheriff Anthony Mazzola said Tuesday.
What does it mean when a wildfire is “contained”? A look at how containment is determined.
Two fire weather watches are scheduled for western Colorado, including Rifle, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, .
Dry thunderstorms will be capable of producing frequent lightning and gusty winds, forecasters said in the alert. That, combined with "extremely dry conditions," could start new fires.
Ongoing evacuations include a stretch of Colorado 64 north of the fire, areas along Colorado 13 east of the fire from Colorado 64 to Monument Peak and multiple zones along the fire's southern edge.
Pre-evacuation orders are active for areas including near and along Big Beaver Creek, the Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway, Red Canyon, Jordan Gulch, Colorado 64, Harris Gulch, the Grand Hogback, Ward Gulch and East Middle Fork Parachute Creek.
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East of Meeker, the is burning on 14,549 acres and fire crews gained 75% containment on Wednesday. The wildfire has grown about 300 acres since Aug. 7.
The Oak fire, near Pagosa Springs
Evacuations lifted at noon on Wednesday for the 75-acre Oak fire burning near Pagosa Springs, according to the .
The fire sparked Sunday afternoon and evacuated two subdivisions. It also put a large section of Pagosa Springs on pre-evacuation status, sheriff's officials said.
Residents will need to provide an ID or proof of address at checkpoints to access the areas that had been under mandatory evacuation orders, sheriff's officials said.
The Oak fire was 47% contained as of Tuesday evening, sheriff's officials said.
The wildfire threatened more than 5,100 buildings and 2,000 homes, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Sheriff's officials said the wildfire damaged a small barn, one pump house, one pergola, one carport and a camper trailer, but no homes. The department has not updated the damage reported since Monday.
The Stoner Mesa fire, near Dolores
A wildfire burning in southwestern Colorado's San Juan National Forest consumed another 500 acres Tuesday night, fire officials said.
The , which started last week about 20 miles northeast of Dolores, had charred 7,123 acres with no containment as of Wednesday night, up from 3,578 acres on Monday.
Shifting winds and drought conditions have contributed to the fire's growth, officials said at a Tuesday night community meeting in Rico.
The fire's growth slowed on Tuesday and Wednesday, and fire officials said flames are finding less fuel to burn as the blaze reaches Anchor Mountain, which stands between the wildfire and the town.
While most of the growth on Tuesday was to the north along Stoner Mesa, flames are running into younger aspen stands that don't burn as easily, operations chief Brad Piertruska said in a
Firefighters have finished inventorying homes and buildings in Rico and are now focused on building a contingency line to protect the town in the unlikely event the fire burns over Anchor Mountain. Rico remains on a pre-evacution status and parts of the to the public because of the fire.
Crosho fire near Yampa
A wildfire in the of Rio Blanco County, northeast of the Elk and Lee fires near Meeker, more than doubled in size Wednesday, growing to 1,700 acres and forcing mandatory evacuations as it burned east into Routt County.
People living east of Crosho Lake to Routt County Road 17 should leave immediately, county officials said. The evacuation zone includes stretches of county roads 13 and 15 and Heart Mountain. County fire crews are focused on protecting buildings that are threatened by the fire, officials said Wednesday.
Updated are available online.
The wildfire was discovered Monday at Crosho Lake, about 8 miles west of Yampa. The cause of the fire is unknown.
The fire was active overnight and throughout the day Wednesday as it spread into Routt County, U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Aaron Voos said. The fire is mainly burning in spruce and fir trees, which is causing spot fires that contribute to the spread.
Statewide impacts
The heaviest smoke will be in the areas closest to the fires, especially overnight and in the early morning, state health officials said.
Residents should consider limiting their time outdoors, especially young children, older adults and those with heart disease or respiratory illnesses, according to issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The current advisories were issued Tuesday morning and are set to expire at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
If visibility drops to less than 5 miles, the smoke has reached unhealthy levels.
