GRAND JUNCTION — Good news arrived to the Western Slope. While the Lee Fire continues to grow in acreage, containment has gone up and the fire lines have held. 

A new executive order issued Thursday by Gov. Jared Polis also expanded current disaster declarations to the entire state, which has lost 185,000 acres to wildfire so far this year, much of it in western Colorado.

The Lee fire, burning in Rio Blanco County, reached 133,841 acres Friday morning while containment increased to 12%, up 9 p...

RIFLE — The hummingbirds have gone silent on Moe Disney’s 32 acres in Garfield County. Disney bought the land in 2018 to settle down in retirement, where more than 100 hummingbirds have spent their summers enjoying nine birdfeeders on the property.

On Sunday, smoke from the Lee fire had gotten so bad that Disney, who is the primary caretaker for her disabled husband, realized they needed to leave their home.

The area where the property sits is currently in ready status of the “ready, set, go”...

RIFLE — Firefighters are preparing for extreme fire behavior Wednesday as the Lee fire expands south between Meeker and Rifle. By Tuesday night, the fifth-largest fire in Colorado history grew to 120,650 acres and its containment dropped.

Forecasts call for temperatures to reach the high 80s or low 90s Wednesday, while humidity could drop to the single digits, according to Rocky Mountain Incident Command public information officer Bethany Urban. 

While smoke that has plagued Rifle will shift n...

The Boulder Police Department is investigating an incident that saw several male college students treated or hospitalized after heavy alcohol consumption at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house.
First responders were called to the Boulder Community Hospital and the University of Colorado Boulder Kappa Sigma fraternity house after reports of individuals showing signs of overdoses. Police initially indicated that at least six men were ill, but now believe there were five.
Officers arrived to find the...

A graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder is facing charges of harassment and theft following an incident that occurred at the University Memorial Center Tuesday afternoon.
According to a court affidavit, the student, Luna Peck, allegedly threw water at one student and stole another’s speaker. These students were involved in a separate event in the same location. 
The incident occurred about one hour into the “Day of Resistance” rally organized by Boulder Students for Justice in P...

On Thursday and Friday, firefighting efforts made significant progress against all four wildfires that burned across Colorado’s Front Range this week. The successes come after four days of resources and manpower stretched thin as new fires ignited.
In Boulder County, the Lake Shore Fire is now 100% contained. All evacuation orders for the area have been lifted.
The fire, which ignited on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. burned seven acres and destroyed one home near Gross Reservoir. While active flames we...

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