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Colorado prison evacuated as growing wildfire becomes one of the largest in state history
RIO BLANCO COUNTY, COLORADO, AUG 10 – All 179 inmates were safely relocated as the Lee Fire burned over 167 square miles with only 6% containment, prompting multiple evacuations in Garfield and Rio Blanco counties.
- The Colorado Department of Corrections began evacuating 179 inmates from a facility near Rifle Saturday, relocating them about 150 miles to other CDOC facilities, as the Lee Fire grew.
- Amid dry, windy conditions, the Elk Fire benefited from weather, leading to a precautionary evacuation of the prison near Rifle.
- As of August 6, the Windy Gap Fire in Grand County remains at approximately 30 acres with no evacuation orders at this time.
- Garfield County ordered residents in evacuation zone 70 to leave, and the Garfield County Sheriff's Office issued pre-evacuation notices for zones 72 and 73.
- Following the wildfire, the Colorado Department of Corrections said it enacted a partial closure of White River National Forest and the Colorado National Guard was deployed on Tuesday.
95 Articles
95 Articles
Steamboat Pilot & Today
Glenwood Springs Post IndependentRifle Correctional Center evacuated as Lee Fire spreads toward Garfield County
The Colorado Department of Corrections evacuated all 179 incarcerated individuals from the Rifle Correctional Center Sunday due to the rapidly growing Lee Fire in Rio Blanco County, according to a statement. The Lee Fire has burned over 110,000 acres in Rio Blanco County as of Monday, according to the complex incident management team responding to the fire, making it the fifth largest in Colorado history and prompting evacuation orders in both R…
Aspen Times
Now the 5th largest wildfire in Colorado history, the Lee Fire grows to more than 110,00 acres as ‘extreme fire behavior’ expected to continue
Firefighters made progress toward containing one of the largest wildfires in Colorado history over the weekend, but officials said “extreme fire weather” is expected to continue Monday and throughout the week. The Lee Fire had burned 113,378 acres in Rio Blanco County — an area that is larger than Denver County — as of Monday, according to the complex incident management team responding to the fire. That makes the wildfire the fifth largest in C…
Prison evacuated as Colorado wildfire burns 110,000 acres
A state prison in rural western Colorado has been evacuated due to a massive fire that has spread to more than 110,000 acres, state authorities said Sunday. The Lee Fire is now the fifth-largest blaze in the Colorado’s history, according to state data. It has been burning with little control since Aug. 2 in Rio Blanco and Garfield counties near Colorado’s northwest corner. As the blaze continued its advance on Saturday, all 179 prisoners were ev…
Lee Fire burns more than 113,000 acres, now 5th largest fire in Colorado history
Firefighters in Colorado are battling the Lee Fire, which has scorched more than 113,000 acres as of Monday morning. The fire forced the evacuation of a prison over the weekend, and officials are warning residents to be prepared to evacuate if winds pick up as dry weather persists. Impact Evacuation orders were issued for several communities as the Lee Fire is just 7% contained as of publication. On Saturday, officials ordered the evacuation of …
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