RIO BLANCO COUNTY, Colo. — The Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office has issued a mandatory evacuation due to the Lee Fire. Zone 63 on the south side of the fire is now under a "GO" status, meaning residents should evacuate immediately. As of Wednesday afternoon, areas south and west of Meeker are also under evacuation orders due to the Lee Fire.

A wildfire that started in northwest Colorado on Saturday afternoon has now burned around 4,000 acres. Evacuations and closures have been put in place near two of the fires burning to the south of Meeker.

At least six new wildfires ignited along Colorado's Western Slope over the weekend, bringing the total number of wildfires burning across state and federal lands to more than 10.