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Tag: EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Same week, same county, different response: Inside the Elk and Lee fires
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, Top Stories

Same week, same county, different response: Inside the Elk and Lee fires

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Flames boiled the pond on Mike Clark’s ranch, scorched irrigated fields and melted fiberglass fence posts in minutes. On August 6, the Lee Fire came so fast friends were calling with warnings as his family scrambled to clear trees and pump water toward the house.  Just miles away on the Elk Fire side, air tankers and ground crews had been dropping water since early morning. Mike Clark is no stranger to high stakes. A fourth-generation Coloradan and CEO of Petrox Resources, he built his life and business in the same place he raised his children. For decades, Clark has run Petrox while also working the family’s ranch, a property he moved to more than 30 years ago for its open spaces, agricultural roots and the chance to raise his kids in a...
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Colorado Fires Show Mixed Progress Elk Fire Contained Lee Fire Still Raging
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State, Approved, Post Independent

Colorado Fires Show Mixed Progress Elk Fire Contained Lee Fire Still Raging

By Taylor Cramer | The Post Independent The Elk Fire is now fully contained as crews continue to make progress on the much larger Lee Fire, which has burned 137,465 acres and is 42% contained as of Sunday. The Lee Fire is now just shy of the Hayman Fire, which burned 137,760 acres in 2002 near Colorado Spring and ranks as the fourth-largest wildfire in Colorado history. Both the Lee and Elk fires were started by lightning on Aug. 2. Combined, 1,155 personnel remain assigned to the fires, supported by six aircraft, 25 hand crews, 78 engines and 46 pieces of heavy equipment. The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 is nearing the end of its 14-day assignment. The Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 1 has been mobilized to assume command Monday. The inco...
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Over 100K Acres Burn As Lee Fire Ranks Among State’s Worst
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State, Approved, The Gazette

Over 100K Acres Burn As Lee Fire Ranks Among State’s Worst

By: Jonathan Ingraham | The Gazette The Lee fire southwest of Meeker, Colorado in Rio Blanco County has become the sixth largest wildfire in Colorado history, eclipsing the 2012 High Park fire, which burned 87,284 acres west of Fort Collins. The fire grew from over 88,000 acres to over 92,000 acres throughout the day on Saturday, with no containment, state fire officials said. By Sunday morning, the fire had burned 106,672 acres, however, some progress had been made and the fire was at 6% containment, according to state fire officials and federal fire maps.  A map published by the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 shows the growth of the Lee and Elk Fires near Meeker, Colorado. Credit: Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, Facebook Mand...
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Meeker self-evacuates as Elk and Lee fires surge past 75,000 acres
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denvergazette.com, Approved, Local

Meeker self-evacuates as Elk and Lee fires surge past 75,000 acres

By Michael Braithwaite | Denver Gazette The town of Meeker has been self-evacuated as the nearby Elk and Lee fires surpassed 75,000 combined acres Thursday. Both started by lightning earlier this week, the twin fires have drastically grown in size over the past several days. On Tuesday, the Lee Fire was estimated to be 7,750 acres and the Elk Fire at 13,025, according to a Facebook post from the Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office. Just four days later, the Lee Fire has grown to nearly 61,000 acres and the Elk Fire to 14,236, the office said. Officials have attributed the significant growth to the fire's interior being filled in, though crews have not yet reached any containment on either fire. The blazes' growth has threatened both the town of Meeker and the Highway 64 cor...
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Wildfires Force New Evacuations Across Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Wildfires Force New Evacuations Across Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties

By  Spencer Kristensen | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — As crews continue to battle wildfires across the state, more evacuations and pre-evacuations have been ordered due to several fires growing in size. Multiple agencies in different jurisdictions around Colorado ordered a new round of evacuations and pre-evacuations on Wednesday afternoon. Rio Blanco County: Lee and Elk Fires There are two large wildfires in Rio Blanco County that have burned more than 30,000 acres. Evacuations have already been sent for certain areas in the county, and the Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office continued with more evacuations and pre-evacuations on Wednesday. Zone 40 Zone 40 is located southwest of Meeker and just east of Lion Canyon. The area contains a stretch of Highway 13. Immediate e...
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Elk Fire forces evacuations: Northwest Colorado battles fast-growing blaze
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Fox31, Approved, State

Elk Fire forces evacuations: Northwest Colorado battles fast-growing blaze

BY SPENCER KRISTENSEN | KDVR - FOX 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Three large wildfires caused by lightning strikes are burning in northwest Colorado in Rio Blanco and Moffat Counties, the Bureau of Land Management reported on Monday morning. Here’s what to know about each fire: Elk Fire The Elk Fire is the largest of the three fires. Initially reported on Aug. 2, the fire has grown to 3,000 acres as of Monday morning and is burning in the Oak Ridge area, nearly 10 miles east of Meeker. The fire is burning on private, state and BLM lands. Evacuation and pre-evacuation orders The Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office ordered evacuations on Sunday and continued with pre-evacuation orders on Monday afternoon. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR - FOX 31
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Eleven stabbed at Michigan Walmart before two Marine veterans end the violence
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, National, Top Stories

Eleven stabbed at Michigan Walmart before two Marine veterans end the violence

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice What started as a typical Saturday, July 26, at a northern Michigan Walmart in Traverse City ended in chaos, bloodshed, and unexpected heroism. Eleven shoppers were stabbed — several critically — before police could arrive. Deputies say two former Marines stepped in just in time, stopping the chaos before it turned deadly. The suspect—42-year-old Bradford Gille from Sheboygan County, Wisconsin—is behind bars. Formal charges are expected soon, including one that may fall under the state’s terrorism statute. What witnesses say happened during the stabbing It was just before 4:45 p.m. when Gille began attacking customers near the checkout lanes inside the Walmart off US-31. Witnesses say he moved fast and struck randoml...
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30,000 Acres and Counting: Western Colorado Faces Worst Fire Season Yet
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State, Approved, denvergazette.com

30,000 Acres and Counting: Western Colorado Faces Worst Fire Season Yet

Grace Brajkovich | The Denver Gazette Several wildfires continue to eat their way through western Colorado's mountainous terrain, with one growing more than 6,000 acres overnight and another crossing over from Utah, according to emergency officials. The four major wildfires on the western half of the state, including the one coming from Utah, have burned over 35,000 acres of land, according to Inciweb, a government wildfire tracker.  The scorching weather and "extreme" drought conditions still fan the blazes' flames as firefighters try to navigate steep, jagged terrain and fight back the four wildfires that prompted Gov. Jared Polis to issue a disaster declaration Sunday.  Here's a roundup from fire officials Wednesday. Turner Gulch and Wright Draw firesM...
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Burning Man event in Las Animas County cancelled over ‘non-consensual fentanyl drugging’ concerns
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Approved, KKTV CBS 11, Local

Burning Man event in Las Animas County cancelled over ‘non-consensual fentanyl drugging’ concerns

By Aaron Vitatoe | KKTV LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - A suspected attempted drugging involving fentanyl forced the cancellation of a Burning Man event in southern Colorado. Apogaea is a Burning Man-sanctioned event held every June in Colorado, according to their website. Over the weekend, they were set to hold their event in Las Animas County near Trinidad. As the weekend kicked off, though the Apogaea Board of Directors instructed everyone to leave the event, and asked anyone on the way to turn around, for safety reasons. On Sunday, they confirmed the reason for the cancellation was suspected non-consensual drugging involving fentanyl. They said, luckily, no one was dosed or physically harmed at the event, and no one needed medical attention. According to a post on Fa...
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Trump announces military to California, uses emergency powers to ‘turn on the water’ from pacific northwest
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Approved, Fox News, National

Trump announces military to California, uses emergency powers to ‘turn on the water’ from pacific northwest

By Paul Bois | Breitbart President Donald Trump announced on Monday night he sent the military to California and used his emergency powers to increase water flow from the Pacific Northwest. The president made his announcement from his Truth Social account. “The United States Military just entered the Great State of California and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!!!” he said. READ THE FULL STORY AT BREITBART
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