Pictured is a helicopter being used to fight the Elk Fire east of Meeker. Smoke from the Lee Fire darkened the sky over Meeker this week as the blaze to the west expanded dramatically, prompting multiple evacuations. The Elk Fire off County Rd. 8 to the east of Meeker also prompted evacuations. As of press time Wednesday morning, the fires had burned more than 30,000 acres in Rio Blanco County. Weather conditions were not expected to improve through the rest of the week. As conditions are changing rapidly, we are updating the HT website as new information comes in, and have turned off the paywall for fire-related stories. Visit the RBC Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page, and make sure you are signed up for Rio Blanco Alerts (see links in the story at left). To see an interactive map for evacuation information visit https://tinyurl.com/2fm98pe7 BILL LEVY PHOTO
