The Elk and Lee fires in Rio Blanco County have reached over 120,000 combined acres as of Sunday morning, with winds from the northwest pushing the larger of the two fires to the south and east, according to the Aug. 10 update from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Three.

The Lee Fire, west of Meeker, swelled to 106,672 acres by Sunday, while the Elk Fire, east of Meeker, has burned 14,635 acres and stands at 9% containment, up from 8% containment on Saturday. 

Officials said the Lee Fire, which was 0% contained as of Saturday morning, is now at 6% containment. 

Over 1000 personnel are battling the two fires, supported by 14 aircraft, 23 hand crews, 51 engines and six pieces of heavy equipment, officials added.

“Today, with winds coming from the north/northwest, the Rifle community in the I-70 corridor will see smoke from the Lee Fire,” the team wrote. “Due to mostly clear skies, fire activity is expected to increase early in the day.” 

At approximately 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon, officials upgraded Zone 70 to the “Go” order, urging residents in the area to evacuate immediately, according to a statement from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. Zone 70 is the first zone in Garfield County to reach “Go” status.

Just after 12 p.m. on Sunday, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office announced that Zones 72 and 73 are in “Ready” status due to the Lee Fire, meaning there may be a possible evacuation in the area. Residents in Zones 72 and 73 are urged to prepare to potentially evacuate, monitor fire activity and pack valuables.

Confirm your location and evacuation zone using the map here: tinyurl.com/nxmx65hj

“Near-critical” fire conditions will return today, wrote the incident management team, including low humidity, periods of high winds from the north and northwest, and the absence of cloud coverage, potentially leading to “extreme” behavior in parts of the Lee Fire.

Lee Fire

Dry, hot weather conditions precipitating a Red Flag warning on Saturday created “more extreme fire behavior” in the Lee Fire, officials said. As the fire moved south, fire personnel tried to catch spot fires, with some success. 

Structures at risk, including private residences, were prioritized to protect from the spread of the fire. 

“Firefighters on the west side of the fire were successful with strategic firing operations along the (U.S.) Highway 13 corridor to continue reinforcing the line,” officials wrote. “Firefighters in the north and northeast side of the fire were successful in strengthening firelines and building confidence in the holdings that were put in.” 

Today, firefighters will continue with efforts of point protection for at-risk structures. Fire personnel at the southern end of the Lee Fire are currently prepared for “more extreme fire behavior moving south.” 

The main objective, said the team, is to keep the fire west of U.S. 13 and north of Rio Blanco County Road 5. 

“Under current conditions, this will prove to be a challenge to firefighters,” the team said. 

Elk Fire

Firefighters were able to continue strengthening the fireline yesterday, officials said, as the Elk Fire saw some cloud coverage and lower fire activity. Continued efforts of mop-up and structure protection have “worked well, especially along the (Rio Blanco) County Road 8 corridor.” 

For today, “firefighters will continue to patrol and mop up containment lines” to prevent further spread of the fire, said the incident management team. “Structure protection resources will remain in place around residences and other values at risk.” 

As progress is made on the Elk Fire, the team will shift resources toward the much larger Lee Fire.