Colorado wildfires: Elk fire fully contained, Lee fire continues to burn

While afternoon thunderstorms on Saturday helped firefighters contain one blaze burning on the Western Slope another nearby fire is close to becoming the fourth-largest on record in Colorado As of Saturday night the Lee fire was burning on acres between Meeker and Rifle in Rio Blanco County The wildfire is acres smaller than Colorado s fourth-largest fire on record the -acre Hayman fire that sparked in It s also just over acres smaller than the -acre Pine Gulch fire from Colorado s third-largest wildfire A second wildfire burning to the east the -acre Elk fire was fully contained Saturday fire agents declared Jump to Lee and Elk fires Stoner Mesa fire Crosho fire Members of a Wyoming Interagency Hotshot Crew work on overnight burning operations along Hwy in Rio Blanco County Photo provided by Elk and Lee Fire Information Lee and Elk fires near Meeker The lightning-sparked Lee and Elk fires have been burning on opposite sides of Meeker in Rio Blanco County for more than two weeks together consuming hundreds of square miles As of Saturday night the -acre Lee fire was contained It s at present the fifth-largest wildfire on record in Colorado according to the state s Division of Fire Prevention and Control Saturday afternoon thunderstorms dropped between and inches of rain over the southern half of the Lee fire the the bulk substantial rain the area has seen in a while meteorologist Julie Malingowski mentioned during a Saturday night neighborhood meeting in Meeker The northern perimeter of the fire saw less rain about of an inch Malingowski declared Heavy rain showers also fell over the southwestern portion of the -acre Elk fire helping bring it to full containment Sunday is expected to be warmer and drier a trend forecast to continue throughout the week Temperatures will peak in the s mid-week as relative humidities drop back into the single digits Malingowski disclosed There will be no precipitation or chance for thunderstorms from Monday through Wednesday she reported Moisture will begin to return on Thursday but rain showers aren t expected until Saturday Fire danger will remain high in the area until it gets roughly more inches of rain fire behavior analyst B la Harrington declared during the Saturday night meeting This little bit of moisture has been nice it s going to give us a little bit of a respite but we re going right back into critical fire behavior and fire danger Harrington commented The Elk fire is fully contained but wind could send embers over the fire line and create spot fires he declared Crews remain ever vigilant as the interior of the fire burns itself out We re not out of the woods yet Harrington explained Colorado reopened Saturday for the first time since the fires started on Aug and certain mandatory evacuations were lifted The wildfire burn areas are closed to the society and multiple zones on the Lee fire s southern edge remain under mandatory evacuation orders Previously evacuated areas surrounding both the Lee and Elk fires were moved back to pre-evacuation status fire representatives declared Updated evacuation and pre-evacuation orders for Rio Blanco and Garfield counties are available online The two wildfires have destroyed five homes and outbuildings Fire agents stated the blazes were complicated to fight because of steep terrain gusty winds heat and extreme drought Smoke fills part of the San Juan National Forest as firefighters battle the Stoner Mesa fire on Friday Aug Photo provided by Stoner Mesa Fire Information Stoner Mesa fire near Dolores A wildfire burning in the San Juan National Forest on Colorado s Western Slope consumed another acres overnight fire officers revealed Sunday morning The lightning-sparked Stoner Mesa fire is burning on acres in Dolores County with no containment up from on Saturday fire executives noted Warmer temperatures stronger winds and drier weather are forecast to start Sunday and continue throughout the week bringing with it increased fire activity according to a Sunday morning update Flying embers have sparked multiple spot fires near the main burn area that firefighters are working to extinguish Sunday according to the update The nearby town of Rico remains on pre-evacuation status and parts of the national forest are closed to the constituents because of the fire The Crosho fire burns on more than acres in Rio Blanco County Photo provided by Crosho Fire Information Crosho fire near Yampa Related Articles Colorado wildfires Colorado reopens near Meeker after Lee fire closure Colorado wildfires Evacuations lifted in Blue Ridge fire in La Plata County Black Canyon of the Gunnison s south rim to reopen Monday after wildfire Colorado wildfires More evacuations ordered in Crosho fire on Western Slope Colorado wildfires Crosho fire near Yampa doubles in size More than structures are threatened by a wildfire burning in western Colorado but none have yet been destroyed fire functionaries disclosed The -acre Crosho fire burning on the dividing line of Rio Blanco and Routt counties west of Yampa was informed Saturday at acres fire representatives revealed More accurate mapping revealed the fire s burn area was smaller than previously estimated according to a Sunday morning update As of Sunday morning the fire was contained and mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect north of the blaze The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests also remain closed around the fire Multiple evacuation orders were canceled Sunday morning moving areas south and east of the fire onto pre-evacuation status Residents should be prepared to re-evacuate if fire activity escalates Updated Routt County evacuation maps are available online This is a evolving story and may be updated Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter