Colorado wildfires: Elk fire in western state explodes to 2,000 acres, destroys 3 buildings

Lauren Penington, The Denver Post on Aug 4, 2025

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DENVER — A 2,000-acre wildfire burning on Colorado’s Western Slope had destroyed three buildings as of Monday morning, fire officials said.

The lightning-sparked Elk fire started southeast of Meeker in Rio Blanco County just after noon Saturday and grew to roughly 600 acres by Sunday afternoon.

The fire more than tripled in size throughout the evening, jumping a county road and consuming 2,000 acres, according to an 11 p.m. post from the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s officials said two houses and one outbuilding were lost in the fire.

The fire also jumped parts of White River, and sheriff’s officials said those areas were firefighters’ top priority Sunday night.

“The fire remained active throughout the night; however, it did not experience any significant growth or make any notable runs,” sheriff’s officials said in a Monday morning update.

But sheriff’s officials said increased fire activity is expected Monday afternoon.

Hot, dry and windy conditions in the afternoon and evening could exacerbate the fire’s growth, according to a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service.

Monday’s warning will be active from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the weather service. Another red flag warning will be active Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly,” weather service forecasters stated in the warning.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis verbally issued a disaster declaration for the wildfire on Sunday, allowing the state to direct more resources to fighting the fire.

Meeker is about 70 miles northwest of Glenwood Springs and 40 miles north of Interstate 70.

Evacuation orders remain in effect Monday for both sides of County Road 8 between mile marker 11 and mile marker 16. The road is also closed to the public between mile markers 11 and 18.

A pre-evacuation notice was issued for residents along County Road 57, which includes Miller Creek, sheriff’s officials said. Residents in the area should be prepared to evacuate if fire activity escalates.

Evacuees should report to the Fairfield Center at 200 Main Street in Meeker, sheriff’s officials said.

The fire is burning on a combination of private, Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Division of Wildland land, according to the sheriff’s office.

Ground crews and aerial teams are both working to fight the fire, though the exact number of people out in the field was not available Monday.

Smoke from the Elk fire and several smaller wildfires burning in Rio Blanco and Garfield counties caused state health officials to issue a smoke-based air quality advisory.

The advisory will be active from 9 a.m. Monday to at least 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Smoke may cause poor air quality in parts of Rio Blanco, Garfield, Eagle and Routt counties, officials said in the advisory. That includes Meeker, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, El Jebel, Basalt, Eagle, Vail and Steamboat Springs.

If an area has less than five miles of visibility, the smoke has reached unhealthy levels and people should remain indoors, officials said.

Children, older adults and people with heart disease or respiratory illnesses are all more sensitive to poor air quality, according to the department.

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