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Lee Fire in Colorado map: A look at impacted cities and warnings issued as wildfire tops 106k acres
The Lee Fire in Colorado has grown to over 106,000 acres, prompting evacuations and emergency preparations.
The Lee Fire, the biggest of three wildfires in northwest Colorado, spread to over 100,000 acres over night and forced additional evacuations, as per officials. The positive side is that firefighters have made some progress in limiting the fire, increasing its containment from 0% to 6%.
Over the course of Saturday, the fire expanded from over 88,000 acres to over 92,000 acres without being contained.
The Lee Fire was estimated to be 106,672 acres as per federal fire maps on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the Rio Blanco Sheriff's Office predicts that the weather will contribute to the fire's expansion.
The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control reports that the Lee Fire is currently the sixth-largest single fire in the history of the state.
“Near-critical fire weather will return today,” the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team stated in a statement released on Sunday, as per CBS News.
“This will include low relative humidity, periods of gusty winds from the north/northwest and lack of cloud coverage. The very dry fuels with the expected weather could result in extreme fire behavior in some areas of the Lee Fire.”
A look at Lee Fire map
An updated map of Lee and Elk fires show that the northeastern-most section of the Lee Fire leaped Highway 13 and has reached on the east side of the highway. However, state officials informed that region is inside the “contained fire edge.”
Lee fire: What we know about firefighting operations
According to officials on Sunday, over 1,000 firefighters are presently fighting those fires with a total of 14 aircraft, 23 hand crews, and 51 engines.
In the initial days of the Elk fire, two residences and one outbuilding were charred; no buildings have been reported lost in the Lee fire.
Both the Garfield County and Rio Blanco County sheriff's departments are updating evacuation notices.
Which cities or areas are impacted by Lee Fire?
The Lee fire has impacted the following areas:
Colorado 13 Corridor
Fourteenmile Creek
Meeker
Rio Blanco County
Are there warnings or orders for evacuation in effect?
Meeker has been reduced to “ready” status and is subject to pre-evacuation notices. Access to the checkpoints requires identification. Residents are advised to stay away from dry grass and to prepare emergency kits.
