A new wildfire burning on Colorado’s Western Slope added to the handful of blazes that consumed thousands more acres on Tuesday, forcing evacuations in communities across the region.
The Crosho fire is burning on 300 acres in northeast Rio Blanco County near its border with Routt County and prompted campground evacuations and pre-evacuation orders for nearby homes Tuesday.
In southern Colorado, the 6,618-acre Stoner Mesa fire burning on U.S. Forest Service land near Rico in Dolores County nearly doubled in size overnight, growing more than 3,000 acres since Monday.
And the largest wildfire burning in Colorado, the 116,859-acre Lee fire southwest of Meeker, officially ranked Monday as Colorado’s fifth-largest wildfire on record.
Five active wildfires — the Lee, Elk, Oak, Stoner Mesa and Crosho fires — have charred more than 138,000 acres, or 215 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
Two lightning-sparked wildfires burning on either side of Meeker in Rio Blanco County had charred more than 131,000 acres as of Tuesday night.
The Lee fire, which sparked southwest of Meeker in Rio Blanco County and is spreading toward Rifle in Garfield County, was last mapped at 116,859 acres with 6% containment.
Containment dropped slightly Monday from 7% after “fast-moving flames pushed by the wind” charred thousands of additional acres, according to fire officials.
What does it mean when a wildfire is “contained”? A look at how containment is determined.
The fire jumped Rio Blanco County Road 5 on Tuesday afternoon, and crews are working to contain the spot fire as it shows “increased activity,” officials said a Tuesday night update.
The Lee fire’s perimeter is about 170 miles, Operations Section Chief Fred Tucker said during a Monday night community meeting in Rifle.
Tucker said about 700 firefighters are battling the blaze on the ground, accompanied by 10 helicopters and multiple tankers in the air.
“We’re doing everything we can; we’re throwing everything we have at this fire,” he said.
Hot, dry and windy conditions have fueled the wildfire’s rapid growth over the past week, combining with “extreme drought” brought on by minimal rain, meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said.
The drought put brush and other vegetation in the area into dormant, winter-like states, fire behavior analyst Kevin Thompson said during the Monday night meeting.
That allowed the fires to make large, unprecedented runs, he said. At one point, the Lee fire grew 8 miles in a single day.
Fire behavior lessened Monday because of lighter winds, Thompson said. A similar reprieve is forecast for Tuesday, but growth is still expected — especially on the southern edge.
Wednesday is the “day to watch” for fire weather, Schoenfeld said.
The strongest winds, hottest temperatures and lowest levels of humidity are forecast for Wednesday, she said.
Winds are currently blowing from the north, which is sending smoke south to Rifle, she said. On Wednesday, winds are expected to start blowing from the west, which could send the Lee fire’s flames east, toward Meeker.
Areas around the fire in Rio Blanco and Garfield counties remained under mandatory evacuation orders Tuesday, according to the county’s emergency map.
That includes 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.
East of Meeker, the Elk fire is burning on 14,549 acres with 30% containment, fire officials said Tuesday. The wildfire has grown about 300 acres since Thursday.
As it winds down, resources and firefighters are being pulled off the Elk fire and shifted to the Lee fire, Tucker said.
The Oak fire, near Pagosa Springs
Evacuations remained in place Tuesday for the 75-acre Oak fire burning near Pagosa Springs, according to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire sparked Sunday afternoon and quickly grew, evacuating two subdivisions and putting a large section of Pagosa Springs on pre-evacuation status, sheriff’s officials said.
Pre-evacuation orders were lifted Monday evening as firefighters gained 14% containment on the fire, but the mandatory evacuation zone remained closed to residents.
That includes the Elk Park and Aspen Springs subdivisions.
“Fire crews will continue to work throughout the night and (Tuesday) morning on the perimeter and interior sections to ensure that all hazards near residences are addressed,” sheriff’s officials said Monday night.
Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for the fire Sunday and authorized the National Guard to assist in firefighting efforts.
The wildfire threatened more than 5,100 buildings and 2,000 homes, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
As of Monday, the wildfire had damaged a small barn, one pump house, one pergola, one carport and a camper trailer, but no homes.
The Stoner Mesa fire, near Dolores
A wildfire that sparked last week in southwestern Colorado’s San Juan National Forest nearly doubled in size Monday, fire officials said.
The Stoner Mesa fire, which started about 20 miles northeast of Dolores in an “extremely difficult-to-access area” of the national forest, had consumed 6,618 acres with no containment as of Tuesday night, according to fire officials.
The fire had been mapped on Monday at 3,579 acres.
“Much of that growth was near the western edge, where strong northerly winds pushed fire south along the eastern side of Stoner Creek,” fire officials said Monday evening.
Shifting winds and drought conditions have contributed to the fire’s growth, officials said at a Tuesday night community meeting in Rico.
The fire didn’t grow as much Tuesday, and the eastward spread toward Rico has slowed as the flames come across less and less fuel on Anchor Mountain, which stands between the fire and the town.
Still, fire crews are ordering hose lines and pumps to prepare to protect homes and buildings in Rico if the fire makes a run, operations chief Brad Piertruska said.
The remote and rugged location of the Stoner Mesa fire means it’s “likely going to be on the landscape for quite a while,” San Juan Team 8 Incident Commander Pat Seekins said Tuesday night.
Fire officials requested a complex incident management team to take over command of the fire because of its growth and difficult terrain, Seekins said, and those folks will transition on scene in the coming days.
Crosho fire
A new wildfire burning on 300 acres of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests in northeast Rio Blanco County forced evacuations of a nearby campground and prompted pre-evacuation orders for homes in the area.
The Crosho fire was discovered Monday at Crosho Lake, near the edge of Routt County, about 8 miles west of Yampa. Flames started burning on U.S. Forest Service land but have since reached private property, although no buildings are threatened, fire officials said.
Forest Service officials closed the Chapman Reservoir campground and dispersed camping near Crosho Lake because of the fire and are working on a broader closure of the national forest.
A pre-evacuation notice was sent out Tuesday morning to people living between County Road 19 to the north, Colorado 131 to the east, Rio Blanco County Road 13 to the south and Crosho Lake to the west.
Statewide impacts
Wildfire smoke spreading across Colorado prompted air quality advisories for multiple counties on Tuesday.
As of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, advisories were active for parts of Rio Blanco, Garfield, Mesa, Routt, Dolores and Montezuma counties, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The air quality advisories will remain active through at least 9 a.m. Wednesday.
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 the advisories.
If visibility drops to less than 5 miles, the smoke has reached unhealthy levels.
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