RBC | Gov. Jared Polis has formally requested a federal disaster declaration for two wildfires that burned over 150,000 acres in Rio Blanco County this summer.
The Lee and Elk fires grew rapidly and forced evacuations in and around the town of Meeker after they were started by lightning on Aug. 2. A combined total of more than 1,200 firefighting personnel were assigned to the fires at their peak intensity in mid-August, fueled by extreme…