Governor Polis Updates Verbal Disaster Emergency for Elk Fire to Embrace Lee Fire

MEEKER – Over the weekend, Governor Polis verbally declared a catastrophe emergency to help response efforts for the Elk Fire in Rio Blanco County, Southeast of Meeker, Colorado. Yesterday, he up to date that catastrophe emergency to additionally embody the Lee Fire, which previous to the night of the 4th, had solely been burning on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, Southwest of Meeker. This up to date designation went into impact at 12:01 AM on August 5.

The Lee hearth has since merged with the Grease hearth, one other hearth that began on BLM land, and is now designated because the Lee hearth. The Lee hearth now consists of federal, state, and personal lands and is rising quickly. The hearth has displaced a number of residents as a result of excessive hearth conduct, and extra residents have been positioned on pre-evacuation standing.

The Lee hearth is from the identical climate occasion and is being managed by the identical Complex Incident Management Team managing the Elk hearth.  The County Sheriff has acknowledged the fires have exceeded native capability and has requested that it’s designated a State Responsibility Fire. Fire situations in northwest Colorado stay at close to report ranges, and elevated hearth climate and hearth threat is forecast for the approaching week.  

With the catastrophe declaration, the State Emergency Operations and Resource Mobilization Plans are activated and the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) coordinates the general state response underneath the Disaster Emergency Response Act by way of the State Emergency Operations Center and deployment of discipline operations employees to straight help county emergency managers. The Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) is the state’s lead hearth administration company and is aiding with incident administration efforts and mobilization of fireside suppression sources with the help of the opposite CDPS Divisions.  

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