Gov. Polis declares disaster emergency for wildfire burning in northwest Colorado; evacuations ordered
Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency Sunday for a wildfire burning in northwest Colorado.
The Elk Fire began around 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Rio Blanco County. Early Sunday, the fire was estimated to have burned around 600 acres to the southeast of Meeker, but that number jumped to 3,000 acres throughout the day, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office said the wildfire is actively burning across land belonging to the Colorado Division of Wildland, the Bureau of Land Management and private owners, fueled by pinyon, juniper and oak brush in the area. They added that no structures are currently at risk.
At 5:15 p.m., the Sheriff's Office said it sent out a reverse 911 for residents from Mile Marker 11 (County Road 57 Miller Creek) to Mile Marker 16 on County Road 8. An evacuation center has been set up at Fairfield Center, 200 Main Street, in Meeker. The evacuation is for both the North and South sides of County Road 8.
Authorities said the smoke from the wildfire can be seen from Meeker, and the hot and dry conditions are contributing to active fire behavior. The sheriff's office requested that residents and travelers avoid the area while emergency personnel are working to contain the fire.
Due to the rugged terrain in the area, Hotshot crews are being dropped into the fire zone to assist ground crews with suppression efforts. The sheriff's office warned, "DO NOT STOP along County Road 8, stopping or parking in the area may interfere with fire operations and pose a danger to yourself and responders." The sheriff's office later announced the closure of County Road 8 between mile marker 8 at Miller Creet and mile marker 17 at Sleepy Cat.
Today's declaration provides additional resources and state support to help in fire suppression efforts. A statement from the governor's office said:
"Fire conditions in northwest Colorado are at near record levels, and elevated fire weather and fire risk is forecast for the coming week. With the disaster declaration, the State Emergency Operations and Resource Mobilization Plans are activated and the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) coordinates the state response through management of the State Emergency Operations Center and deployment of field operations staff to directly support county emergency managers with consequence management. The Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) is leading the incident management and suppression efforts in conjunction with the other CDPS Divisions."
Lightning from recent thunderstorms also sparked two wildfires southwest of Meeker. According to the Bureau of Land Management, the Lee Fire has burned approximately 700 acres so far in an area 20 miles southwest of Meeker. Authorities said the fire is threatening oil and gas infrastructure in the Magnolia area.
The Lee fire is visible from Colorado State Highway 13 and Rio Blanco County Road 5, Piceance Creek Road. The BLM said fire weather conditions will be critical Monday and a Fire Weather Watch has been issued.
The third wildfire, named the Grease Fire, is currently located on BLM land slightly northeast of the Lee Fire. The BLM has not yet sent a release on that fire. According to the NIFC, the fire has grown to 1,000 acres.
Authorities encouraged residents of Rio Blanco County to sign up for Rio Blanco Alerts. The alert system is the official emergency notification system for wildfires, severe weather, flooding and evacuations in the area.
