Lee Fire Near Meeker Grows To Fourth-Largest In Colorado History

By Óscar Contreras | Denver7

The wildfire burning southwest of Meeker surpassed the size of the Hayman Fire, which burned 137,760 acres in 2002.

RIO BLANCO COUNTY, Colo. — The Lee Fire burning in Rio Blanco County became the fourth-largest blaze in Colorado history Monday,a little more than three weeks after igniting southwest of Meeker.

As of Monday, the fire has burned 138,844 acres and is 90% contained.

Previously known as the Lee and Grease Fire, the blaze has surpassed the 416 Fire (2018), the West Fork Fire (2013), the Missionary Ridge Fire (2002), and the High Park Fire (2012) in size after scorching more than 100,000 acres of land in just eight days, according to fire officials.

Severe drought conditions combined with several days of red flag warnings along Colorado’s Western Slope, some of which persist for a swath of western Colorado, contributed to its rapid spread, fire officials added.

Discovered on Aug. 2 following a lightning strike in the Piceance Creek area on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, the Lee Fire’s growth briefly threatened the Town of Meeker, which was placed on a pre-evacuation notice just four days later.

Evacuation orders were also issued northwest of Rifle after the fire moved south, close to the Garfield County line.

Around-the-clock firefighting efforts were able to contain the blaze from jumping Highway 13, and the pre-evacuation notices for Meeker were rescinded on Aug. 8.

The fire was so large that it also ended up creating its own weather system.

By Aug. 10, the Lee Fire was inching closer in size to the 108,045-acre Spring Creek Fire from 2018 before it surpassed it less than three days later, after growing to over 123,000 acres in size.

On Aug. 18, the Lee Fire had grown to over 137,000 acres despite firefighters making good progress in containment.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7