VIDEO: The Derby Fire more than doubled again overnight, according to InciWeb data Thursday morning, amid evacuation orders for parts of Eagle County. The Derby Fire is now 2,624 acres in size and remains 0% contained, according to fire officials. The fire had grown to 839 acres by early Wednesday, when mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents of Sweetwater Road and areas of Colorado River Road from Sweetwater to Red Dirt Creek. Derby Mesa Loop remains in pre-evacuation at this time, according to Eagle Valley Wildland officials.
The Eagle County blaze, burning about 15 miles north of Dotsero in the White River National Forest, was sparked by lightning on Saturday. There have been no reports of structural loss or injuries.
- Size: 137,755 acres
- Containment: 73%
- First reported: Aug. 2
- Cause: Lightning
- Location: 18 miles southwest of Meeker
The lightning-sparked Lee Fire, first reported on Aug. 2, is burning 18 miles southwest of Meeker in Rio Blanco County. Three homes and 12 outbuildings have burned so far in the Lee Fire, according to officials in Rio Blanco County, who said firefighters made steady progress on the north side of the fire and continued to work along Hogback Ridge Thursday.
Over the weekend, the Rio Blanco County Sheriffโs Office downgraded several evacuation zones from GO (red) to SET (yellow) and from SET to READY (green). The Garfield County Sheriffโs Office downgraded Zone 70 on the east side of Highway 13 in northern Garfield County from GO (red) to SET (yellow). Other zones have not changed.
Crews on Wednesday completed nearly four miles of chipping, which is the act of processing large debris into smaller woodchips which are dispersed over a wide area. That work will continue Thursday, with firefighters also patrolling and targeting remaining hot spots. The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office said a partial closure of the White River National Forest was also in effect due to the fire within the Blanco Ranger District west of and including the Long-Lost Trail system.
