Firefighters are working to gain control over several lightning-caused wildfires that by Tuesday morning had burned across nearly 21,000 acres in northwestern Colorado.
The fires sparked over the weekend after a lightning storm struck on parched land near Meeker in Rio Blanco County and rapidly grew Monday due to very hot, dry and windy conditions on the Western Slope.
Both the Elk and Lee fires made large runs Monday and spread north, east and south throughout the day, fire officials said.
The Elk fire is estimated at 13,025 acres, as of Tuesday morning, and is burning about 10 miles east of Meeker. The Lee fire, which now includes nearby Grease fire, is burning 7,750 acres about 18 miles southwest of Meeker, officials said.
About 300 firefighters are on scene fighting the fires, including 30 engines and six hand crews, according to an update from the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team, which took over command of the fires at 6 a.m.
Crews worked to protect structures along the Colorado 64 corridor in the Lee fire area and at the Big Beaver drainage on the north side of the Elk fire, officials said. But Tuesday’s weather is expected to bring more challenging conditions for firefighters.
Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-80s to low 90s and relative humidities are forecast to be low, fire officials said. Southwesterly winds will average 18 mph with gusts up to 25 mph and are expected to continue through the evening.
On Monday, officials said two houses and one outbuilding had been destroyed in the Elk fire.
Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency Sunday for the “near record levels” of fire conditions in northwestern Colorado and the “elevated fire weather and fire risk” that is forecast for the week.
All of western Colorado is in drought and conditions are worsening across several counties, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Nearly 30% of Rio Blanco County, where the Elk and Lee fires are burning, are under what the drought monitor dubs as “extreme drought conditions” and the remaining areas are facing “severe drought.”
Significant wildland fire activity has spiked across the West this year with weather patterns that are exacerbating large fire ignition and growth, the National Interagency Fire Center wrote Tuesday.
So far this year, there have been nearly twice as many wildfires compared with the same period last year, according to data released by the NIFC.
Smoke from the Elk and Lee fires will contribute to poor air quality in several counties in western Colorado, including Meeker, Steamboat Springs, Granby, Kremmling, Meeker, Vail and Eagle, according to an advisory from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
“If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors,” the advisory said, warning of the dangers of inhaling smoke, which can exacerbate respiratory illnesses. The advisory will remain in effect through 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The White River National Forest announced Tuesday that it was closing the Long-Lost trail system, which starts along County Road 8, for firefighter and public safety.
Evaluation orders for communities in the vicinity of the fires can be found at the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Facebook page.
