Gov. Polis declares disaster emergency for LeRoux Fire in western Colorado

Another disaster emergency has been declared in western Colorado due to wildfires burning across the western half of the state.

Late Monday night, Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency to support efforts to bring the LeRoux Fire in Delta County under control.

The LeRoux Fire has burned around 700 acres so far, and 15 homes have already been evacuated. Another 152 homes are on pre-evacuation notice. The fire is on Oak Mesa east of 3100 Road and north of Hwy 92 between Hotchkiss and Redlands Mesa. The Bureau of Land Management has ordered evacuations for:

• 3100 Road north of the intersection of 3100 Road and Oak Mesa Road, starting at the 7X Ranch and including the 7X Ranch
• This includes all residents along 3100 Road between the bridge where 3100 Road crosses Leroux Creek north to the U.S. Forest Service Boundary and any in-holdings or campers in the area of Forest Service Road 128 up to Bailey Reservoir.  

The Delta County Sheriff's Office requested state assistance, saying the fire has grown beyond the capacity of local resources. This declaration will allow for the state to support suppression efforts with external resources. Polis said interagency aviation and ground resources have been mobilized to assist, including air and overhead resources.

An update from the Hotchkiss Fire District on Monday night said:

"The Leroux fire was active throughout the day, provoked by Red Flag weather conditions. The relative humidity was as low as 2 percent at times, with winds out of the southwest blowing 15-18 mph and gusts up to 30 mph. Fire crews worked direct along the fire's edge alongside heavy equipment where it was safe to do so. Heavy aerial support was necessary to retard fire spread and reduce the intensity of the fire so crews on the ground could work.

There is currently no containment on this fire. However, significant progress was made in slowing fire growth and protecting private property and other values at risk."

The disaster emergency declaration goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5. A Type 3 Incident Management team will take command of the fire at 6 a.m.