DENVER (KDVR) — Two wildfires burning over 30,000 acres in Rio Blanco County have prompted closures of four state wildlife areas near Meeker.
The fires were believed to be caused by lightning during the same weather event over the weekend.
Tuesday night, Gov. Jared Polis expanded his verbal disaster emergency declaration to include the Lee Fire, which merged with the Grease Fire and now includes federal, state and private lands. The governor's office said it is growing rapidly and has displaced multiple residents. The declaration means that state resources will be activated to manage the emergency response.
On Wednesday morning, the Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office provided an update revealing that the fires had grown significantly since Tuesday. The Elk Fire has burned 8,304 acres, and the Lee Fire has burned 22,497 acres, according to InciWeb.
The fires are at 0% containment. There are 236 firefighters and resources, including seven aircraft, nine fire engines and seven hand crews, working to battle the blazes, according to a press release from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team
Hot, dry and windy conditions helped the fires to spread on Tuesday and overnight. The Lee Fire spread mostly to the south and the east and impacted Highway 13. The Elk Fire saw less extreme activity, which allowed crews to halt the fire's progress on the south end along County Road 8.
Wednesday morning, the incident management team said crews are still working to protect structures from the fires and prevent further progress and secure fire lines.
The fire is expected to spread more on Wednesday with hot temperatures, low relative humidity and strong winds, along with dry vegetation that can easily catch fire.
There will be a community meeting on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Meeker High School, where authorities will provide updates and information about their plans, and will be available to answer questions.
FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inboxWhat to know about evacuations
An online interactive map shows evacuation zones near the fires and can be found here.
The county is using an evacuation status system of "Ready," "Set," and "Go" to ensure residents have the most time to prepare for evacuation. The town of Meeker was given four evacuation zones to help with evacuations if needed.
"Due to areas of lighter fuels, irrigated meadows, and gentler terrain around much of the town, fire managers are currently seeing limited potential for the fire to impact the town," the Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. "However, given the very active fire behavior so far, they want to make sure we are prepared for the unexpected. Again, these areas are not currently in an evacuation status, but have been identified in case a change in that status is warranted going forward."
Wildfires prompt closure of 4 Colorado wildlife areas
As of Tuesday, the Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area, Rio Blanco Lake State Wildlife Area, Colorow Mountain State Wildlife Area and the Piceance State Wildlife Area's Little Hills and North Ridge units were closed to the public.
FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up for weather alerts from the Pinpoint Weather teamHowever, inquisitive visitors will find the gates to these properties open, which is an effort to ensure firefighters can access the area freely. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking the public to respect the closures, not only for their safety, but that of the firefighting crews, as well.
“We know the timing of this isn’t ideal,” said Meeker Area Wildlife Manager Johnathan Lambert in CPW's announcement. “This time of year, we see an increase in hunters in these areas, scouting and preparing for the upcoming big game hunting season. For your safety and the safety of the fire crews actively working in these areas, we ask that you please stay out of these areas.”
There are also closures by the Bureau of Land Management in Rio Blanco County, which described the as being within the boundaries of "south of Colorado Highway 64, north and east of Rio Blanco County Road 5, east of County Road 71, south and east of County Road 77, south of county line, and west of Colorado Highway 13." A map of the BLM closures can be found here.
The White River National Forest Blanco Ranger District has also issued public closures for the area west of the Long-Lost Trail system and including that trail system. A map of that closure can be found here.
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