Scattered rain and slightly cooler temperatures limited the spread of multiple wildfires burning across Colorado’s Western Slope on Friday, allowing firefighters to increase containment and lifting some evacuation orders Saturday morning.
Containment on the 133,954-acre Lee fire burning between Meeker and Rifle in Rio Blanco County grew to 31% as crews marked a “very successful” day of keeping the flames in check, operations section chief Jeramy Dietz said in a morning briefing.
County officials lifted some mandatory evacuations along the Colorado 13 corridor Saturday morning, though some areas west of the highway and near the Garfield County line remain under mandatory evacuations.
Farther north, folks living on the edge of Routt and Rio Blanco counties also remain under evacuation for the Crosho fire, which started burning in the the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests on Monday.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Jump to: Lee and Elk fires | Stoner Mesa fire | Crosho fire | Statewide impacts
Lee and Elk fires near Meeker
Growth on one of Colorado’s largest-ever wildfires has slowed to a crawl in recent days as firefighters hold containment lines and slightly cooler temperatures help limit the spread.
The Lee fire burning south of Meeker in Rio Blanco County has charred 133,954 acres, only a 300-acre jump since Thursday, and is now 31% contained, fire officials said Saturday morning.
County officials lifted some mandatory evacuation orders along the Colorado 13 corridor on Saturday morning, though parts of the county west of the highway are still under evacuation, as is a swath of land along the fire’s southern edge into Garfield County.
Eleven miles to the east, containment on the Elk fire increased to 93% and no increase was reported on the 14,518-acre fire.
Both widlfires were sparked by lightning on Aug. 2 and have challenged firefighters battling steep terrain, gusty winds, heat and extreme drought. Five homes and 14 outbuildings were destroyed by the fires.
But slightly cooler and more humid weather on Friday weather brought some relief to crews, including a sprinkling of rain overnight.
“The increase in moisture and humidity will help firefighters as they continue to suppress the fire,” officials wrote in a Saturday morning update.
Conditions will dry out Sunday and early in the week, though there’s a chance monsoonal conditions — which have been largely missing from the Western Slope this summer — may return late next week.
Stoner Mesa fire, near Dolores
Rain and cooler weather also hindered growth on the Stoner Mesa fire on Friday, though conditions prevented fire officials from flying over the blaze to get an updated size.
The fire was last reported at 7,390 acres with no containment and is burning in a remote section of the San Juan National Forest about 20 miles northeast of Dolores.
Firefighters are taking advantage of the cooler weather to build containment lines, though some sections to the east are impossible to access because of the steep terrain.
The nearby town of Rico remains on pre-evacuation status, and parts of the national forest are closed to the public because of the fire.
Crosho fire near Yampa
Cooler, more humid weather also helped crews fighting the Crosho fire in Rio Blanco and Routt counties west of Yampa, officials said Saturday.
No growth was reported overnight on the 2,200-acre that sparked in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests on Monday.
There are 240 structures currently threatened by the fire, but no damage has been reported.
Mandatory evacuations remain in effect for areas east of Crosho Lake to Routt County Road 17. The evacuation zones include Heart Mountain and stretches of County roads 13, 15, 132 and 19.
The U.S. Forest Service closed parts of the national forest because of the wildfire, including Rio Blanco County Road 8 to the north, Forest Road 940.1A to the east, Mill Creek to the south and the forest boundary in Routt County to the west.
Updated Routt County evacuation maps are available online
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