Overview

• The wildfire between Meeker and Rifle now ranks behind Cameron Peak, East Troublesome and Pine Gulch, sitting roughly 200 acres short of third place.
• Fire managers report steady containment aided by widespread rains, with forecasts warning of flash flooding, frequent lightning, hail and gusty winds over the burn scar.
• The blaze ignited by lightning on Aug. 2 on BLM land in the Piceance Creek area and expanded by more than 100,000 acres in eight days during extreme drought and red-flag conditions.
• Active staffing has been scaled back to about 200 personnel after earlier peaks above 1,100, with the FDNY Incident Management Team now in command and crews reinforcing lines and conducting repair work.
• At least five homes and more than a dozen outbuildings were lost across the Lee and nearby Elk fires, with evacuation orders lifted over the weekend and key closures previously affecting Colorado Highway 13.