Crews battling one of Colorado’s largest wildfires made progress with containment levels on Sunday.
By Sunday morning, the Lee fire in Rio Blanco County had burned 137,453 acres and reached 42% containment, according to the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team.
The Elk fire, which scorched 14,518 acres, was fully contained as of Sunday morning, officials said.
Several evacuation zones were downgraded, and residents can check U.S. Forest Service maps for current fire impact areas.
On Saturday morning, crews reopened Colorado Highway 13 south of Meeker after boosting containment to 31%.
The lightning-sparked Lee fire exploded from 700 acres over the past two weeks.
Now the fifth-largest wildfire in state history, the Lee fire forced closures along Highway 13 between Meeker and Rifle until Saturday morning, as firefighters worked to protect the corridor.
At one point, flames jumped the highway less than half a mile south of Meeker, leading crews to take emergency measures to keep it from reaching the town.
In total, 1,155 personnel have worked on both the Lee and Elk fires, supported by six aircraft, 25 hand crews, and 78 engines.
“Islands of unburned fuel remain active near County Road 5 on the south side of the fire, with heat and isolated torching. Firefighters will continue to mop up to remove heat and strengthen fire lines,” officials said in a Sunday morning update.
The Lee fire is now nearing the size of Colorado’s fourth-largest wildfire, the 2002 Hayman fire, which burned 137,760 acres, destroyed 132 homes, and killed six people.
Colorado’s largest wildfires include the 2020 Pine Gulch fire (139,007 acres), the 2020 East Troublesome fire (193,812 acres), and the 2020 Cameron Peak fire (208,913 acres).
Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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