The town of Meeker has been self-evacuated as the nearby Elk and Lee fires surpassed 75,000 combined acres Thursday.

Both started by lightning earlier this week, the twin fires have drastically grown in size over the past several days. On Tuesday, the Lee Fire was estimated to be 7,750 acres and the Elk Fire at 13,025, according to a Facebook post from the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office.

Just four days later, the Lee Fire has grown to nearly 61,000 acres and the Elk Fire to 14,236, the office said. Officials have attributed the significant growth to the fire’s interior being filled in, though crews have not yet reached any containment on either fire.

The blazes’ growth has threatened both the town of Meeker and the Highway 64 corridor to the west, both of which have been directly bordered by the Lee fire, according to an online evacuation zone map.

Located on Colorado’s western slope, Meeker is the most populous municipality in Rio Blanco County, with a total population of just over 2,300 people, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. While mostly a ranching community, the town is also home to U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management recreational areas, which are used for hunting, fishing and other outdoor ventures.

“The town is a little quiet lately, a lot of businesses are currently closed just to stay safe,” Meeker Town Administrator Mandi Etheridge told The Denver Gazette Friday. “It’s scary, but our community is resilient and people will be okay.”

Even though Meeker is still in pre-evacuation status, the Rio Blanco county officials already helped evacuate those in nursing homes or needing physical assistance, Etheridge said. She added that many others had already self-evacuated the town.

“The general consensus is that they haven’t had anything that’s posed as much imminent danger for the town in recent history,” Etheridge said. “We’re no stranger to wildfires in northwest Colorado, but the community is on high alert.”

Fire conditions are expected to worsen through the weekend, peaking in intensity on Friday, officials said. Temperatures will range into the 80s, with low relative humidity and westward winds gusting up to 45 mph. 

Strong winds and hot, dry conditions on Thursday helped instigate a Lee fire spot fire, pushing the blaze up near the highway, though crews were able to keep it from spreading across the road, the office said. 

Crews closed Highway 64 Thursday afternoon to respond to the spot fire; officials reopened the roadway Friday morning with a notice that they could close it again at any time, the office said. Personnel are currently working on fortifying the northwest line to continue protecting the highway.

The Lee fire also saw a strong movement in the southern direction, pushing against the wind, though crews were able to keep the run at bay, officials said.

The Elk fire also saw increased activity on its northwest edge Thursday, but crews were able to keep the spread to a minimum, the office said. The National Guard is also using two aircraft that will be helping operations during the day.

Polis mobilizes National Guard as Rio Blanco County fires threaten Meeker

Officials believe there is potential for more fire activity on the interior of the Elk Fire, but are confident that the lines dug to stop the fire’s spread will hold, they said.

The Lee and Elk fires are respectively to the south west and east of Meeker, which has been placed under pre-evacuation notice due to the Lee fire’s close proximity, the office said. Additionally, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife temporarily closed its Meeker Area Office due to the Lee Fire.

“Our priority right now is the safety of our staff and making sure we are available to help the Meeker community,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Johnathan Lambert in a news release. “We have staff who are currently evacuating their homes due to the Lee fire … we believe our resources are best utilized by assisting our community; that is why we decided to close the Meeker Office.”

Elk and Lee fires grow to over 30,000 acres, containment remains null

Earlier this week, CPW also closed four state wildlife areas in the county to public access until further notice, due to the growing fires:

• Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area
• Rio Blanco Lake State Wildlife Area
• Colorow Mountain State Wildlife Area
• Piceance State Wildlife Area

Gates at the properties have been left open to help with firefighting efforts, but not for public access, CPW said in a news release.

Officials created a new fire information Facebook page where they will be posting updates about the Elk and Lee fires. Those looking for up-to-date information on evacuation notices and road closures should go to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, or sign up for emergency alerts at this link.

“Our biggest thought is that of gratitude toward the firefighters and emergency management who have kept us safe,” Etheridge said.