As yet another large wildfire grows on the Western Slope, Gov. Jared Polis has declared a disaster emergency statewide and authorized the use of the National Guard.
The Crosho fire, which sparked Monday southwest of Steamboat Springs, is now more than 1,700 acres, with no containment.
To the west, the Lee fire remains the largest in the state — and fifth largest in state history — at more than 127,000 acres, or roughly 200 square miles.
Firefighting crews working several fires across the Western Slope are facing critical fire danger.
The governor’s executive order allocates an additional $2.5 million to the Wildfire Emergency Response Fund. The order said that $1.5 million of the $1.7 million allocated for this fire season has already been spent.
“This new action will bolster our ability to jump on fires early in partnership with local communities, and will help ensure the state, in partnership with local communities, has the resources necessary to combat wildfires this season,” Polis said in the order.
The order also provides more support to the Division of Fire Prevention and Control so that it can work with local agencies to pre-position firefighting assets for future fires.
There are nine large fires across the state and 24 uncontained fires. More than 185,000 acres have burned. More than 2,300 firefighters and personnel are fighting them. The effort includes 41 aircraft, including federal, state, National Guard, county and local equipment and crews.
The governor's order called it a “record-level” of fires, with critical fire weather conditions and risk expected to continue throughout the summer.
Red flag warnings continue for most of the state. Air quality alerts are in place for the entire Western Slope due to dangerous wildfire smoke.
Lee fire
New evacuations were called on Wednesday on the southern edge of the Lee fire as it creeps closer to the city of Rifle.
The fire is only 3 percent contained, and that percentage dropped this week from 6 percent as the fire grew.
Many residents outside the town of Meeker remain evacuated.
Firefighters are working to protect structures, critical infrastructure such as oil and gas operations, and the
There’s a community meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Colorado Mountain College in Rifle, where officials will give updates and answer questions.
Elk fire
The nearby Elk fire in Rio Blanco County has been significantly controlled: It is 75 percent contained at 14,518 acres.
According to daily updates from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team 3, firefighters and equipment are being moved to the Lee fire burning in Rio Blanco and Garfield counties.
Both counties are big ranching communities. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are more than 1,000 farmers in the two counties.
On Tuesday, the president of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, Curt Russell, told CPR News that the organization is working to provide aid to affected ranchers, including emergency funding, feed and hay, and even helping them relocate livestock to pastures on the Eastern Plains.
“After the fires are out is when the big push will come,” Russell said. “Then we'll be looking at, OK, so it burned up all your grass, it burned up all your fences. Where can we go with these cows until we can get things back together?”
He said fencing can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace.
Crosho fire
The Crosho fire in Garfield, Rio Blanco and Routt Counties is 1,700 acres and zero percent contained. Some evacuations have been called for the area, with other areas on standby.
Nearby residents and campers have been forced to evacuate, and several nearby county roads are closed. Nearly 200 resources are working the fire, which straddles both Rio Blanco and Routt counties.
Portions of Routt National Forest are closed. Officials said today that the fire was growing on all sides on both public and private land.
Stoner Mesa fire
The Stoner Mesa fire in Montezuma and Dolores counties is 7,389 acres and zero percent contained. It’s burning on public lands and no evacuations have been called, though some campgrounds have been closed.
In a daily update, Rocky Mountain Team 1 Operations Section Chief Matt Weakland said the efforts were focused on protecting the town of Rico. A fire weather watch for dry thunderstorms has been issued for Friday.
Efforts are also focused on containing the north side of the fire and preventing it from reaching Highway 38.
Oak fire
The Oak fire burning in Archuleta County is 78 percent contained at 75 acres. Evacuation orders were lifted yesterday and residents were able to return home, according to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office.
South Rim fire
The South Rim fire burning in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, in Montrose County, is 4,232 acres and 52 percent contained.
The North Rim of the park reopened on July 31. The South Rim is set to reopen on Aug. 18. Visitors will be able to drive the South Rim Road, access the visitor and Tomichi and Gunnison Point overlooks, and visit the park store. But some portions of the park will remain closed for cleanup and repairs.
The fire is isolated in deep canyons and inaccessible areas, according to incident command. The fire is smoldering but not active, and “poses very little risk of spread outside the current fire footprint.”
Turner Gulch fire
The Turner Gulch fire in Unaweep Canyon outside the community of Gateway has been smoldering for over a month, with flare-ups in fire activity in recent days. Some pre-evacuations are still in place.
The fire is 29,068 acres and 53 percent contained, with 616 firefighters on the scene.
Crews have focused on protecting structures and preventing spread along Highway 141. Ground crews are working on controlling the western perimeter of the fire, extinguishing hot spots and digging fire lines where necessary.
CPR’s Dan Boyce contributed reporting.
