MEEKER | Last Saturday’s Ashes to Action gathering brought nearly 90 residents together for an update on post-fire recovery efforts from multiple agencies. Rio Blanco County Commissioner Doug Overton opened the meeting with a brief account of the unified response to the Lee and Elk fires.
“We are a county that shows up. That leans in. That protects its own,” Overton said. “The Lee and Elk fires tested us — but they also revealed us. And what they showed is a community built on resilience, collaboration and compassion.”
Commissioner Callie Scritchfield echoed that sentiment, thanking community members, responders and partner organizations for their efforts during and after the fires. She emphasized the county’s “git’er done attitude” and the work still ahead.
“There were significant impacts to power lines and fencing, and the rains created many more challenges than we anticipated,” she said.
Flooding and long-term impacts
Heavy rains helped extinguish the fires but triggered substantial flooding, particularly in the Lee Fire burn scar. Officials expect flooding to remain a major concern for five to eight years. Scritchfield said the county anticipates full reimbursement for suppression costs through the Fire Management Assistance Grant program and is awaiting a presidential disaster declaration that would open Public Assistance Grant Funding (PAGF) through FEMA, primarily benefiting WREA.
The county has also received a verbal commitment of about $7 million from the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection program for life- and infrastructure-protection projects through next year’s monsoon season. The funds will support repairs at the old landfill off Highway 13 and address recurring road damage. The allocation covers roughly 75% of costs; the state will cover another 12.5%.
Road and bridge crews under strain
Rio Blanco County Administrator Vicky Edwards detailed the workload road crews have shouldered throughout and after the fires. The county maintains 931 miles of roads.
“You’ve got some high mountain peaks where it burned, and you’ve got roads underneath,” Edwards said. “It’s going to erode… It’s going to happen over and over again.”
Underpasses have repeatedly filled with debris after each rain event, creating ongoing challenges for residents, industry partners and county staff.
Downstream: Rangely and regional infrastructure
Ash and debris flows continue to threaten downstream systems, including Rangely’s water supply and operations at Taylor Draw Dam.
Electric infrastructure damage forms the bulk of the county’s PAGF request. White River Electric Association (WREA) and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association sustained nearly $26 million in losses.
WREA engineering manager Chris Reidinger said damage included 36 poles lost in the Elk Fire, 300 distribution poles and 101 Highway 13 poles in the Lee Fire, plus 14.5 miles of 345-kilovolt transmission line.
“Our estimated damage is about $24 million — roughly double the FEMA minimum threshold,” he said.
Power to the Piceance Basin — which generates 6–10% of the nation’s natural gas — is now being supplied by a backup transmission line. WREA hopes to have the 345kV line restored by spring 2026.
Economic recovery and community support
Meeker Chamber of Commerce Director Sara Stephenson outlined local economic recovery efforts, including securing approval for Small Business Administration economic injury and disaster loans. The Upper Yampa Valley Community Fund has already distributed part of the donations raised to affected local businesses.
Federal lands, conservation districts, and landowners
U.S. Forest Service Blanco District Ranger Curtis Keetch, speaking for both USFS and the Bureau of Land Management, reported that Forest Service lands were untouched by the fires, but BLM lands sustained damage. A Burned Area Emergency Response assessment has been completed and approved, though funding decisions — and the federal shutdown — are delaying full public release of the report.
White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts Executive Director Vanessa Trout shared news of a $531,000 fire mitigation grant awarded earlier this year. The district is also conducting a long-range planning survey to guide its next three years of work.
Post-fire recovery efforts for private landowners have identified four main needs: ditch cleaning, reseeding, diversion infrastructure repair/replacement, and structure protection. Ten landowners qualify under the Emergency Watershed Protection program, and the districts have secured $1.7 million in donations and grant funding to support recovery on private lands.
Community connection
After the presentations, attendees gathered for a potluck meal, shared stories, and asked questions of the various representatives — closing a day focused on rebuilding, resilience and continuing the work ahead.
EDITED: Corrected Vicky Edwards’ name and noted the Tri-State transmission lines that were damaged between Meeker and Rangely, Meeker and Rifle, and in Josephine Basin are the lines that keep the town of Meeker in lights, not the 345kV and adjacent 138kV lines that were damaged. The article originally stated that the WREA 345 kV line and adjacent 138 kV line keep the town of Meeker in lights.