MEEKER, Colo. — As the Lee and Elk Fires continue to grow, residents in a small town on Colorado's Western Slope are rallying behind the front-line heroes working to contain the wildfires.
Born and raised in the Town of Meeker, Rexanne Read nervously watched as crews battled the flames surrounding her hometown on Thursday.
“We’re going to wait til they say go,” Read told Denver7.
Wildfire
Colorado wildfires: Lee Fire jumps to 58,000 acres; Meeker under pre-evac notice
Meeker, home to roughly 2,300 residents, is located near the White River and surrounded by public lands. The town is well known for outdoor activities.
On August 2, lightning started two fires: the Lee Fire and the Grease Fire. The two fires eventually merged, and the blaze is now known as the Lee Fire.
As of Thursday evening, the Lee Fire is 58,714 acres in size and 0% contained. Fire officials said the blaze is threatening the area due to its extreme behavior.
Burning roughly 15 miles away is the Elk Fire, which has scorched 14,518 acres and is 0% contained. The fire was also sparked by lightning on August 2.
The Town of Meeker is under a pre-evacuation notice due to "the potential for the fire to jump," while residents in areas southwest of Meeker were ordered to evacuate immediately.
Wildfire
Some Meeker residents are voluntarily evacuating due to the Lee and Elk Fires
More than 127,000 acres of land have burned in separate wildfires in Delta, Dolores, Garfield, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose, and Rio Blanco counties, as well as in parts of eastern Utah, aided by hot and dry conditions which have persisted this week.
According to the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3, more than 500 personnel are battling both the Lee and Elk Fires. Mandi Etheridge, Meeker town administrator, told Denver7 that the fires have already destroyed property.
“A lot of it is Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service property, but there is some private property interspersed through all of that, and our local fire team has done an incredible job at trying to save structures,” Etheridge said. “There have been some houses saved, some houses not saved.”
While there is no containment on the two fires, Eric Coulter with the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 said weather cooperated on Thursday.
“Winds weren’t quite as high, stayed a little cooler. So that definitely helped as far as fire activity,” Coulter told Denver7.
Those on the front lines know conditions change, however, and the fight is far from over.
“We still have a lot of work ahead of us and hot, dry days, so it's going to be a continued effort, and we take it day by day,” said Coulter.
As Denver7 drove through Meeker on Thursday, it was easy to spot the community’s appreciation for those protecting their town. Signs thanking firefighters were hanging from fences and posted on front lawns.
Read and other Meeker residents want the front-line heroes to know that they are appreciated.
“We love you very much, and we thank you very much, and we can appreciate you more than we can imagine,” Read said.
