Elk Fire fully contained in Rio Blanco County. Lee Fire sees steady progress

Significant progress was made to contain and control the Elk and Lee Fires in Rio Blanco County near Meeker over the weekend.

The Elk Fire, which burned a total of 14,518 acres, reached 100% containment as of Sunday, and the Lee Fire, which has burned 137,485 acres, was reported to be 61% contained on Monday, according to an update from the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team.

Cooler weather paired with critical rain and moisture over the weekend dampened many hot spots and assisted fire personnel to make progress on the fires, according to the incident management team’s Monday update.

As of Monday, the Meeker School District has begun classes. Colorado Highway 13 is now open between Meeker and Rifle, with residents advised to avoid stopping along the highway and to be aware of firefighters and emergency responders along the road.

Rio Blanco Road County Road 5 remains closed and is a priority for crews who continue to fight the Lee Fire. Those crews are staged to continue to monitor containment lines and hotspots as hot and dry conditions are predicted for the beginning of this week.

Operations Section Chief Jeramy Dietz said in briefing video Monday that the fire remains west of the Highway 13 corridor and crews will focus on “control and mop up” operations for the surrounding area and structures.

Dietz also noted that it will be his last appearance for the Elk and Lee fire incidents in an update briefing — The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 was set to transition command to a team one command on Monday.

Evacuation orders for zones 30, 33, 34, 40, 41, 42, 43, 51, 52, 54, 55 and 66 near the Lee fire have been lifted due to the decreased fire activity.

Suppression repair work and preventative measures for erosion are in place at the Elk Fire as zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are also lifted from their evacuation orders.