Updated at 3:36 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025.
After a weekend of firefighters battling a growing wildfire, the Lee Fire near Meeker has now burned 137,485 acres. It’s close to becoming the 4th largest in state history, just 275 acres smaller than the historic Hayman Fire in 2002.
Officials say they made considerable progress containing the fire over the weekend, bringing containment to 61 percent. Firefighters focused on extinguishing hotspots, with the priority on areas around County Road 5. Crews continue to patrol and monitor along Highway 13, and focus on the north and northwest portions of the fire, west of the town of Meeker.
Crews are using drones to identify sparks and hotspots on the perimeter of the burn. They also continued cleanup on the south side of the fire, nearest to the town of Rifle.
Life is slowly returning to normal in the area, even as the fire continues to smolder. Evacuations have been downgraded.
Highway 13 is open with a speed limit of 50 mph. School starts today in Meeker School District. In neighboring Garfield County, school was delayed by two days by the Lee and Elk fires. It started last week.
Management is being transferred today from the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 to the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 1.
Elk Fire
The nearby Elk Fire is officially 100 percent contained at 14,518 acres and did not grow over the weekend.
Officials expect continued hot, dry conditions to continue to prove challenging for ongoing fire activity, though some light rain over the weekend helped with efforts. The entire Western Slope is in a deep drought.
Oak Fire
The Archuleta County sheriff arrested two men yesterday in connection with the Oak Fire, which flared up last week. The fire burnt 75 acres in southern Colorado before being fully extinguished on Saturday.
According to the sheriff’s office, the two men started an illegal fire in a burn barrel in Aspen Springs on August 10 that quickly spread into nearby subdivisions. The county is under Stage One fire restrictions. The men are charged with fourth-degree arson.
Stoner Mesa fire
The Stoner Mesa fire in Montezuma and Dolores counties grew slightly over the weekend to 8,785 acres and remains zero percent contained. It’s burning on public lands and no evacuations have been called, though some campgrounds have been closed
A community meeting will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at the West Fork Fire Department in Dolores, where officials will provide updates to the community.
Dry, hot weather is expected this week and officials said in a daily update that they expect increased fire growth, though firefighters are making progress at containment lines. The fire is burning in a remote area, making it difficult to access and extinguish.
South Rim Fire
The South Rim fire burning in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, in Montrose County, is now 60 percent contained at 4,232. Most of the park has reopened to the public.
The fire is now in a patrol-and-monitor status under the command of a Type 4 incident management team, and is expected to slowly smolder for some time, without presenting a threat to the public.
The national park partially reopened its south rim today, with reduced visitor hours. People are now able to drive to the visitor center, park store and two of the overlooks. However, much of the southern half of the park will remain closed, including campgrounds and trails.
The north rim of the park is operating normally.
Turner Gulch Fire
The Turner Gulch fire in Unaweep Canyon outside the community of Gateway has been smoldering for over a month. It’s now 79 percent contained at 31,697 acres.
Firefighters made significant progress over the weekend, despite hot conditions and low humidity. They’re focused on extinguishing hot spots with the fire area and on the southern portion. Much of the fire has burned in deep canyons that are inaccessible, so smoke is expected to linger in the week ahead.
Crews are working to re-open local roads that have been closed due to the fire.
Crosho Fire
The Crosho Fire in Garfield, Rio Blanco and Routt Counties is 2,037 acres and 8 percent contained. Some evacuations have been called for the area, with other areas on standby.
In a Monday update, officials said cool temperatures and low winds helped contain the fire slightly over the weekend. Firefighters have focused on building fire lines and securing the perimeter. Warm, dry weather this week could pose additional challenges.
No buildings have been lost, but 240 structures remain “threatened.” Aerial crews are dropping water on hot spots, and hand crews are working on securing sections along Crosho Lake and County Road 15.
Several new, small fires started over the weekend across the Western Slope but were quickly extinguished.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misspelled Hayman, the name of the 2002 fire. It has been corrected.
