Author: Michael Braithwaite and Natasha Lynn The Gazette
-
Western Welcome Week Grand Parade celebrates 97th year
The Western Welcome Week Grand Parade made its way through downtown Littleton for the 97th year on Saturday morning. A popular annual tradition through the city’s historic downtown, the parade featured a variety of local organizations, old cars, scout troops and both high school marching band and cheer teams. Attendees, many of them families with…
-
New blaze prompts evacuations in southwest Colorado
A new wildfire in southwest Colorado promoted evacuations Friday near the town of Bayfield in La Plata County. A county news release said the Blue Ridge Fire was burning in the Forest Lakes subdivision. It had grown during the day from 3-5 acres to 25 acres, according to Watch Duty. The fire was one of…
-
Gov. Polis declares disaster emergency for new Colorado wildfire, as others grow
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for a new wildfire Wednesday night, as others around the state grew in size. Emergency crews working on the Crosho fire, currently at an estimated 1,700 acres — roughly 600 of which are on state and private lands in both Rio Blanco and Routt counties — will…
-
Officials optimistic as Lee fire nears 117,000 acres
Scattered clouds were supposed to dot the skies above Highway 13 south of Craig Tuesday afternoon, but they were hardly visible beyond the distinct haze that had settled into the valley. Ahead, the rolling hills of the Western Slope, beige and dotted with green brush, were visible only as silhouettes through the smoke. Few people…
-
Officials optimistic as Lee fire nears 117,000 acres
Scattered clouds were supposed to dot the skies above Highway 13 south of Craig Tuesday afternoon, but they were hardly visible beyond the distinct haze that had settled into the valley. Ahead, the rolling hills of the Western Slope, beige and dotted with green brush, were visible only as silhouettes through the smoke. Few people…
-
Elk and Lee fires top 100,000 acres; inmates evacuated near Rifle
After starting the week at 20,000 combined acres, the Elk and Lee fires surpassed 100,000 on Friday. Started by lightning earlier this week, the twin fires have drastically grown in size over the past several days, according to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook. Officials have attributed the growth to the fire’s interior…
-
Rural Reckoning | Colorado highways are crumbling, and so is the funding to fix them
With the build of a football lineman and the grit of a rancher, Republican Sen. Byron Pelton gripped the steering wheel of his truck and pointed toward the highway ahead — a stretch of road that runs through the heart of his district in the Eastern Plains. “Do you see how bad this is?” Pelton…
-
Meeker self-evacuates as Elk and Lee fires grow to 75,000 combined acres
The town of Meeker has been self-evacuated as the nearby Elk and Lee fires surpassed 75,000 combined acres Thursday. Both started by lightning earlier this week, the twin fires have drastically grown in size over the past several days. On Tuesday, the Lee Fire was estimated to be 7,750 acres and the Elk Fire at…
-
Colorado’s Elk and Lee fires remain at 0% containment as more than 20,000 acres consumed
The Lee and Elk fires in Rio Blanco County remained at zero percent containment Tuesday as they took over a combined 20,000 acres. Deputies have closed U.S. Highway 13 in both directions south of Meeker between Piceance Creek Road and U.S. Highway 64 due to the Lee fire, the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office said…
-
Leroux fire estimate down to under 200 acres as crews work to contain
The Leroux fire northeast of the town of Delta is down to an 179-acre estimate as crews continue to try containing it Tuesday afternoon. The fire, which was originally reported to be at nearly 700 acres last night, was more accurately measured Monday night after airborne crews mapped it from above, a representative from the…