Colorado corrections officials began evacuating 179 inmates from a facility near Rifle Saturday as Garfield County issued evacuation notices in advance of the still-growing Lee Fire in Rio Blanco County.
The Department of Corrections said evacuations of the minimum-security facility began Saturday afternoon. The facility, which began its life as a labor camp, now holds offenders not considered to be a dangerous threat and those undergoing vocational training in preparation for release. Capacity of the 98-acre center is 192, but not every bed is currently filled.
"In coordination with state and local emergency management officials, CDOC is transferring all incarcerated individuals to other secure facilities outside the fire-affected area to maintain safety and operational continuity," the DOC said in a release. "At this time, there are no reports of injuries to staff or incarcerated individuals."
The Rifle complex has 24 buildings where inmates take classes and work.
At last mapping, the Lee fire had grown to more than 88,000 acres, which would rank it sixth all-time among Colorado wildfires. It is burning to the north of Garfield County in Rio Blanco, but spread rapidly southeast on Friday and Saturday. Updates to the Lee and nearby Elk fires are being posted to Facebook.
On Saturday, Garfield County ordered residents of evacuation zone 70 to immediately leave. An interactive map of the zones can be found here.
Many of Colorado's prisons are located in remote areas, so are occasionally impacted by fires and weather. DOC did not say where the male inmates would be relocated, other than to note they would go to other secure facilities.
At last report Saturday afternoon, more than 1,200 people were fighting the Lee and Elk fires, along with 13 aircraft making drops. The Elk fire is eight percent contained while there was no containment as of Saturday afternoon on the Lee fire.
