Tag: Pre Evacuation

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...