Crews made progress today with increased containment on the Lee Fire. An infrared flight using an unmanned aerial system (UAS) confirmed no heat outside of the fire perimeter. The fire was quiet, and firefighters will keep watch overnight.
Photo is an FVR-90 Type 1 UAS with a sensor capable of infrared to detect heat and ability to send videos back to the team in real time.
Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 is nearing the end of its 14-day assignment. Another team, the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 1, has been mobilized to assume command of the fire. The new team will arrive tomorrow and shadow RMCIMT 3 to ensure a seamless transition in strategic firefighting and fire suppression repair operations. The new team will meet with each section of Team 3 and be provided with all transition information. They will take full control of the incidents on Tuesday morning.
IMTs are part of a national system of firefighting resources that are called in when the local fire situation exceeds the capacity of agency managers to handle. Each team is assigned for 14 days to ensure that team members have the opportunity to rest between assignments. This is essential for safe operations on an incident.
Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 would like to thank the communities of Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties for allowing us to serve you during this assignment.
Size: Elk Fire: 14,518 acres | Lee Fire: 137,465 acres Total Personnel: 1,155 Containment: Elk Fire: 100% | Lee Fire 42% Cause: Lightning Resources: 6 Aircraft | 25 Hand Crews | 78 Engines | 46 Heavy Equipment
Key message: Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 is nearing the end of its 14-day assignment. Another team, the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 1 has been mobilized to assume command of the fire. The new team will arrive tomorrow and shadow RM CIMT Team 3 to ensure a seamless transition in strategic firefighting and fire suppression repair operations. Important Notes: The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office downgraded several evacuation zones. Check your evacuation zone on the interactive map: http://bit.ly/lee-fire-zones. Highway 13 is open with a speed limit reduction of 50 mph. There is no stopping along the highway except in emergencies. Be aware that firefighters and utility personnel are working along the road.
Yesterday: Lee Fire – Firefighters secured containment line along the north and west edges of the fire perimeter, allowing officials to reopen Highway 13. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flights helped identify remaining heat along the northern perimeter of the fire. Crews patrolled, monitored, and removed hot spots along the fire perimeter. On the south side, the fire received a tenth to a half inch of rain. Firelines along County Road 5 held, and firefighters continued reinforcing those lines. Crews continue to strengthen contingency lines south of the fire with mastication equipment to reduce brush and vegetation.
Elk Fire – Increased moisture and humidity supported firefighter efforts in reaching 100% containment on the Elk Fire. Evaluation and implementation of suppression repair work continued.
Current Situation: Lee Fire – Islands of unburned fuel remain active near County Road 5 on the south side of the fire, with heat and isolated torching. Firefighters will continue to mop up to remove heat and strengthen firelines. Crews are working to protect structures and other values at risk while reinforcing containment lines in those areas. Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3 is coordinating closely with the Bureau of Land Management and other agencies to plan repair that meets established standards.
Elk Fire: Suppression repair efforts for the Elk Fire are underway. Crews are pulling soil back over contingency lines and scattering vegetation to restore areas affected by firefighting operations. This process aims to restore areas impacted to their original, pre-fire condition. Weather & Fire Behavior: Temperatures will reach the mid-80s with west/southwest winds 6-12 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. Isolated afternoon showers are possible. A drying trend is expected from tonight through mid-week. Fuel moisture remains low, and significant precipitation would be needed to return levels to normal.
Notas importantes: La Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de RÃo Blanco degradó varias zonas de evacuación. Verifique su zona de evacuación en el mapa interactivo: http://bit.ly/lee-fire-zones. La autopista 13 está abierta con una reducción del lÃmite de velocidad de 50 mph. No hay paradas a lo largo de la carretera, excepto en caso de emergencia. Tenga en cuenta que los bomberos y el personal de servicios públicos están trabajando a lo largo de la carretera.
Incendio Elk – El aumento de la humedad y la humedad apoyó los esfuerzos de los bomberos para alcanzar el 100% de contención en el incendio Elk. Continuó la evaluación y ejecución de los trabajos de reparación de la supresión.
Situación actual: Incendio Lee – Las islas de combustible sin quemar permanecen activas cerca de County Road 5 en el lado sur del incendio, con calor y quemas aisladas. Los bomberos continuarán limpiando para eliminar el calor y fortalecer las lÃneas de fuego. Las cuadrillas están trabajando para proteger las estructuras y otros valores en riesgo mientras refuerzan las lÃneas de contención en esas áreas. El Equipo 3 de Manejo de Incidentes del Complejo del Ãrea de las Montañas Rocosas está coordinando estrechamente con la Oficina de Administración de Tierras y otras agencias para planificar una reparación que cumpla con los estándares establecidos.
Incendio Elk – Los esfuerzos de reparación de supresión para el incendio Elk están en marcha. Las cuadrillas están retirando la tierra sobre las lÃneas de contingencia y esparciendo vegetación para restaurar las áreas afectadas por las operaciones de extinción de incendios. Este proceso tiene como objetivo restaurar las áreas afectadas a su condición original anterior al incendio.
Comportamiento del clima y el fuego: Las temperaturas alcanzarán los 80 grados con vientos del oeste / suroeste de 6 a 12 mph y ráfagas de hasta 20 mph. Es posible que se produzcan lluvias aisladas por la tarde. Se espera una tendencia a la sequÃa desde esta noche hasta mediados de semana. La humedad del combustible sigue siendo baja y se necesitarÃan precipitaciones significativas para que los niveles vuelvan a la normalidad.
Evacuaciones y cierres: CR 5 permanece cerrado. Para obtener información precisa y actualizada sobre evacuaciones y cierres de carreteras para el condado de RÃo Blanco, visite la página de Facebook de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de RÃo Blanco en: https://www.facebook.com/RioBlancoCountySheriffsOffice. Para obtener actualizaciones del condado de Garfield , visite: https://www.garfieldcounty.net/. La información sobre el cierre del Bosque Nacional White River está disponible en: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/alerts. Información sobre cierres de la oficina de campo de BLM White River en: https://ow.ly/78uF50WGjNW.
Good Sunday morning from the Lee and Elk fires. Last night the fire remained calm, stayed within its footprint, and overall conditions are stable and encouraging. Today, crews will continue to mop up and secure firelines, with a goal of increasing containment in the southwest portion of the fire. We are expecting clear skies and plenty of sunshine. Your daily update will be coming soon.
@Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office @BLM Colorado Fire @Bureau of Land Management – Colorado @Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control @U.S. Forest Service – White River National Forest @Bureau of Land Management Fire @Garfield County Sheriff’s Office – Colorado @Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Evening Update – August 16th Elk Fire: 14,518 acres | 100% contained Lee Fire: 137,453 acres | 42% contained
8.16.25, 7:42 pm – Firefighters continued to mop up and secure firelines today, targeting areas where the fire was creeping and smoldering. The increased acreage on the Lee Fire is a result of interior pockets that have burned out and more precise mapping. There has been no change to containment lines. The southern part of the Lee Fire received .25 to .5 inches of rain this afternoon, with trace amounts on the northern portion. There is a chance of rain again tonight, however warmer and drier conditions are expected as we go into early next week.
Flash Flood Warning issued August 16 at 1:36PM MDT until August 16 at 3:30PM MDT by NWS Grand Junction CO
FFWGJT The National Weather Service in Grand Junction has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for… The Lee Fire Burn Scar in… South Central Rio Blanco County in northwestern Colorado… Northwestern Garfield County in west central Colorado…
* Until 330 PM MDT. * At 136 PM MDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain over the Lee Fire Burn Scar.
Between 0.2 and 0.4 inches of rain have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 1 to 1.5 inches in 1 hour. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.
Excessive rainfall over the burn scar will result in debris flow moving through the Lee Burn scar. The debris flow can consist of rock, mud, vegetation and other loose materials.
HAZARD…Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding in and around the Lee Fire Burn Scar. SOURCE…Radar. IMPACT…Life threatening flash flooding of areas in and around the Lee Fire Burn Scar. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include… Rio Blanco.
Instructions
Move away from recently burned areas. Life-threatening flooding of creeks, roads and normally dry arroyos is likely. The heavy rains will likely trigger rockslides, mudslides and debris flows in steep terrain, especially in and around these areas. Low water crossings in mountainous terrain can become dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route.
Highway 13 open Saturday, August 16, 2025 @ 11:45 am.
Speed Limit reduction to 50 mph
No stopping along the highway except in emergencies. All pullouts and rest areas are for fire personnel only.
There are still firefighters and utility personnel working along this road. Please stay alert, drive with caution, and obey speed limits. Please help keep firefighters and utility workers safe.
Thank you for your patience and endurance while we fought to keep this community safe.
Air Operations provided these images of fire impacted areas. These images also illustrate protection efforts of values at risk.
Image 1: Looking west from just south of Meeker, Colorado. The burned area is referred as the Hogback and is where the Lee Fire had crossed Highway 13 on Wednesday August 6, 2025. The image was taken from Air Operations on August 14, 2025.
Image 2: This is an image from Air Operations on August 14, 2025, of the intersection of County Road 5 and Highway 13. This is the southeast edge of the fire where strategic firing operations were conducted to improve the road systems as a holding point with the highest probability of success. These firing operations remove fuels to allow firefighters the opportunity to go direct and hold the fire as it approaches and runs out of fuels to burn.
Image 3: This image, taken on August 14, 2025, shows how the Lee Fire burned around the oil and gas infrastructure and minimized the impacts to operations. Some critical values at risk, such as oil and gas infrastructure, have buffer requirements for vegetation for reducing wildfire risk. The lower half of this photo illustrates use of fire retardant during suppression efforts.
Image 4: This image, taken on August 14, 2025, is looking south of Highway 64, just west of the Town of Meeker. On August 6, 2025, when the Lee Fire crossed Highway 13 and progressed towards Meeker, firefighters protected critical values at risk, such as private properties, as seen in this image of the burned area on the northeast edge of the fire.
Size: Elk Fire: 14,518 acres | Lee Fire: 133,954 acres Total Personnel: 1,230 Containment: Elk Fire: 93% | Lee Fire 31% Cause: Lightning Resources: 9 Aircraft | 27 Hand Crews | 82 Engines | 46 Heavy Equipment
Special Announcement: A community meeting for the Lee and Elk fires will be held tonight at 7:00 P.M. at the Meeker High School, 550 School St, in Meeker, Colorado.
Important Notes: The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office downgraded several evacuation zones from GO (red) to SET (yellow) and from SET to READY (green). The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office downgraded Zone 70 on the east side of Highway 13 in northern Garfield County from GO (red) to SET (yellow). Other zones have not changed. Check your evacuation zone on the interactive map: http://bit.ly/lee-fire-zones. Yesterday: Lee Fire – Firefighters made progress, increasing containment to 31% along the Highway 13 corridor. Crews remained engaged on the southern portion of Highway 13. Work continued near Hogback Ridge, where firefighters patrolled and reinforced lines around structures and areas around County Road 5, and other values at risk. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) were used across the fire to detect isolated areas of heat. Vegetation burned slowly inside the fire perimeter near County Road 5 and County Road 3, removing unburned fuel pockets and supporting control efforts.
Elk Fire: Crews focused on unburned fuels inside the north and west edges of the fire perimeter to strengthen containment. Suppression repair continued to restore hand and dozer lines to a more natural condition.
Current Situation: Rain fell over both fires last night ranging from .05â€â€“ 0.1†of an inch and helped to moderate fire behavior. The increase in moisture and humidity will help firefighters as they continue to suppress the fire.
Lee Fire – Crews are holding and reinforcing control lines. On the north side, firefighters continue to monitor, patrol, and reinforce lines. Firefighters are working along Highway 13 using saws, chippers, and heavy equipment to remove hazards. The southern edge remains most active, with crews improving containment lines to limit the potential for fire to spread outside of the perimeter. Firefighters will continue to patrol and protect structures and other values at risk.
Elk Fire: Firefighters will continue to reinforce containment line, patrol and mop up hotspots, while coordinating suppression repair plans with landowners and managers. Crews are also focused on the remaining uncontained section of the fire, with resources in place to prepare for transition to local units. Work continues on preparing contingency lines. These secondary lines will provide firefighters the opportunity to hold the fire with the highest probability of success if extreme conditions occur and push the fire outside existing containment lines.
Weather & Fire Behavior: A morning temperature inversion may bring fog and high humidity, with a chance of isolated showers during the day. Temperatures will reach the low 80s with west/northwest winds. Fuel moisture remains low, and significant precipitation would be needed to return levels to normal. Conditions will dry into the evening and a drying trend is expected to continue through mid-week, with a potential return of monsoonal conditions later in the week.
Evacuations and Closures: CR 5 and Hwy 13 remain closed. For the most up-to-date road closure information, please visit www.COtrip.org or use the COtrip app. To sign up for Garfield County Emergency Alerts, go to: https://garco911.com/. For Garfield County updates go to: https://www.garfieldcounty.net/. Go to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/
Rio Blanco County Sheriffs Office – for accurate up-to-date information on all evacuations and road closures. Sign up for emergency alerts at: https://rioblancoalerts.genasys.com/portal/en. White River National Forest closure information at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/alerts. BLM White River Field Office closures information at: https://ow.ly/78uF50WGjNW.
Elk and Lee Fire Information: Phone: 970-341-8665; Email: 2025.elkrbx@firenet.gov Facebook: www.facebook.com/elkleefire Inciweb Lee Fire: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cowrd-lee-fire Inciweb Elk Fire: https://inceb.wildfire.gov/incident-infrmation/cowrd-elk-rbx-fire
Recursos: 9 aviones | 27 cuadrillas | 82 camiones de bomberos | 46 maquinaria pesada Anuncio especial: Esta noche a las 7:00 p.m. se llevará a cabo una reunión comunitaria por los incendios de Lee y Elk en la Escuela Secundaria Meeker, 550 School St, en Meeker, Colorado. Notas importantes: La Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de RÃo Blanco degradó varias zonas de evacuación de GO (rojo) a SET (amarillo) y de SET a READY (verde). La Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Garfield degradó la Zona 70 en el lado este de la autopista 13 en el norte del condado de Garfield de GO (rojo) a SET (amarillo). Otras zonas no han cambiado. Verifique su zona de evacuación en el mapa interactivo: http://bit.ly/lee-fire-zones.
Ayer: Incendio Lee – Los bomberos avanzaron, aumentando la contención al 31% a lo largo del corredor de la autopista 13. Las cuadrillas permanecieron comprometidas en la parte sur de la autopista 13. El trabajo continuó cerca de Hogback Ridge, donde los bomberos patrullaron y reforzaron las lÃneas alrededor de las estructuras y áreas alrededor de County Road 5, y otros valores en riesgo. Se utilizaron sistemas de aeronaves no tripuladas (UAS por sus siglas en ingles pero conocidos como drone) en todo el incendio para detectar áreas aisladas de calor. La vegetación se quemó lentamente dentro del perÃmetro del incendio cerca de County Road 5 y County Road 3, eliminando bolsas de combustible no quemado y apoyando los esfuerzos de control. Incendio Elk – Las cuadrillas se centraron en los combustibles no quemados dentro de los bordes norte y oeste del perÃmetro del incendio para fortalecer la contención. La reparación de supresión continuó restaurando las lÃneas de mano y topadora a una condición más natural.
Situación actual: La lluvia cayó sobre ambos incendios anoche entre .05 “y 0.1” de pulgada y ayudó a moderar el comportamiento del fuego. El aumento de la humedad ayudará a los bomberos a medida que continúan sofocando el fuego.
Incendio Lee – Las cuadrillas están manteniendo y reforzando las lÃneas de control. En el lado norte, los bomberos continúan monitoreando, patrullando y reforzando las lÃneas. Los bomberos están trabajando a lo largo de la autopista 13 utilizando sierras, astilladoras y equipo pesado para eliminar los peligros. El borde sur sigue siendo el más activo, con equipos que mejoran las lÃneas de contención para limitar la posibilidad de que el fuego se propague fuera del perÃmetro. Los bomberos continuarán patrullando y protegiendo estructuras y otros valores en riesgo.
Comportamiento del clima y el fuego: Una inversión de temperatura matutina puede traer niebla y alta humedad, con la posibilidad de lluvias aisladas durante el dÃa. Las temperaturas alcanzarán los 80 grados bajos con vientos del oeste / noroeste. La humedad del combustible sigue siendo baja y se necesitarÃan precipitaciones significativas para que los niveles vuelvan a la normalidad. Las condiciones se secarán hasta la noche y se espera que continúe una tendencia de secado hasta mediados de semana, con un posible regreso de las condiciones monzónicas más adelante en la semana.
Evacuaciones y cierres: CR 5 y Hwy 13 permanecen cerradas. Para obtener la información más actualizada sobre el cierre de carreteras, visite http://www.COtrip.org o utilice la aplicación COtrip. Para inscribirse en las alertas de emergencia del condado de Garfield, visite: https://garco911.com/. Para obtener actualizaciones del condado de Garfield, visite: https://www.garfieldcounty.net/. Vaya a la página de Facebook de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de RÃo Blanco – https://www.facebook.com/RioBlancoCountySheriffsOffice – para obtener información precisa y actualizada sobre todas las evacuaciones y cierres de carreteras. RegÃstrese para recibir alertas de emergencia en: https://rioblancoalerts.genasys.com/portal/en. Información sobre el cierre del Bosque Nacional White River en: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/alerts. Información sobre los cierres de la oficina de campo de BLM White River en: https://ow.ly/78uF50WGjNW.
