We just had another fire break out this afternoon between Durango and Bayfield near Vallecito. Reportedly spreading rapidly with pre evac noticed going out to several areas.
Polis declared a statewide disaster emergency with, I believe, 8 fires now burning.
Lee Fire
New evacuations were called on Wednesday on the southern edge of
the Lee Fire as it creeps closer to the city of Rifle.
The fire is only 3% contained, and that percentage dropped this week from 6% as the fire grew.
Many residents outside the town of Meeker
remain evacuated.
Firefighters are working to protect structures and critical infrastructure such as oil and gas operations.
Elk Fire
The nearby Elk Fire in Rio Blanco County has been significantly controlled: It is 75 % contained at 14,518 acres.
According to daily updates from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team 3, firefighters and equipment are being moved to the Lee Fire burning in Rio Blanco and Garfield counties.
Both counties are big ranching communities. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are more than 1,000 farmers in the two counties.
On Tuesday, the president of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, Curt Russell, told CPR News that the organization is working to provide aid to affected ranchers, including emergency funding, feed and hay, and even helping them relocate livestock to pastures on the Eastern Plains.
“After the fires are out is when the big push will come,” Russell said. “Then we'll be looking at, OK, so it burned up all your grass, it burned up all your fences. Where can we go with these cows until we can get things back together?”
He said fencing can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace.
Crosho Fire
The Crosho Fire in Garfield, Rio Blanco and Routt Counties is 1,700 acres and 0% contained. Some evacuations have been called for the area, with other areas on standby.
Nearby residents and campers have been forced to evacuate, and several nearby county roads are closed. Nearly 200 resources are working the fire, which straddles both Rio Blanco and Routt counties.
Portions of
Routt National Forest are closed
. Officials said today that the fire was growing on all sides on both public and private land.
Stoner Mesa Fire
The Stoner Mesa Fire in Montezuma and Dolores counties is 7,389 acres and 0% contained. It’s burning on public lands and no evacuations have been called, though some campgrounds have been closed.
In a daily update, Rocky Mountain Team 1 Operations Section Chief Matt Weakland said the efforts were focused on protecting the town of Rico. A fire weather watch for dry thunderstorms has been issued for Friday.
Efforts are also focused on containing the north side of the fire and preventing it from reaching Highway 38.
Oak Fire
The Oak Fire burning in Archuleta County is 78% contained at 75 acres. Evacuation orders were lifted yesterday and residents were able to return home, according to the
Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office.
South Rim Fire
The South Rim Fire burning in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, in Montrose County, is 4,232 acres and 52% contained.
The North Rim of the park reopened on July 31.
The South Rim is set to reopen on Aug. 18. Visitors will be able to drive the South Rim Road, access the visitor and Tomichi and Gunnison Point overlooks, and visit the park store. But some portions of the park will remain closed for cleanup and repairs.
The fire is isolated in deep canyons and inaccessible areas, according to incident command.
The fire is smoldering but not active, and “poses very little risk of spread outside the current fire footprint.”
Turner Gulch Fire
The Turner Gulch Fire in Unaweep Canyon outside the community of Gateway has been smoldering for over a month, with flare-ups in fire activity in recent days.
Some pre-evacuations are still in place.
The fire is 29,068 acres and 53% contained, with 616 firefighters on the scene.
Crews have focused on protecting structures and preventing spread along Highway 141. Ground crews are working on controlling the western perimeter of the fire, extinguishing hot spots and digging fire lines where necessary.
