Favorable weather helped crews make continuing gains on the Lee fire burning on the Western Slope, more than doubling containment to 31% and allowing Colorado Highway 13 to reopen, fire officials said Saturday.
“Very successful day for folks up there,” Jeramy Dietz , operations section chief with the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team Three, said during a morning briefing. He said scattered rainfall and cooler temperatures helped crews prevent further growth Friday, holding the fire to 133,954 acres. The lightning-caused blaze ignited Aug. 2 between Meeker and Rifle in Rio Blanco County .
During operations Friday, firefighters increased containment through the critical Highway 13 corridor, allowing it to reopen about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, easing north-south traffic, officials announced in a Facebook post. Crews also reinforced containment lines around structures along state Highway 5, another key goal.
The positive news comes two days after Gov. Jared Polis expanded a disaster declaration to bring more resources to bear on Western Slope fires, which blew up among hot, dry weather.
The Lee fire is the fifth-largest wildfire in state history behind the Cameron Peak (208,913 acres), East Troublesome (193,812) and Pine Gulch (139,007) fires all in 2020 and the Hayman fire (137,760) in 2002.
Dietz reported similar progress on the Elk fire burning east of Meeker, saying the fire held to 14,518 acres and containment rose to 93%. It also started Aug. 2 after a lightning strike.
“Everything looked good there yesterday,” Dietz said. “Our resources were engaged patrolling and mopping up, containment lines were looking good.”
Firefighters will continue focusing on the Elk fire’s northwestern flank Saturday, and Dietz said the fire could be totally contained in coming days.
Together, the Lee fire and Elk fire have destroyed five houses and 14 other structures, according to an updated tally Friday from the Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office.