The Elk and Lee fires in Rio Blanco County remained zero percent contained as of Wednesday morning, according to an 8 a.m. news release from the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office. Meeker residents were issued pre-evacuation orders around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The Elk Fire, east of Meeker, has reached over 8,300 acres, said the release. The Lee Fire, west of Meeker, has reached nearly 22,500 acres as of Wednesday morning.

Residents and visitors in Rio Blanco County should follow the “Ready, Set, Go!” evacuation model and know their zone. To view updated evacuation orders, visit TinyUrl.com/559c4j32 or the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

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Wednesday afternoon, Meeker and the area south of town were issued a “set” pre-evacuation status, indicating an imminent evacuation order. Zone 40, just west of Meeker, was issued “go” evacuation orders.

At about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, zones 50, 51 and 54 were also issued “go” evacuation orders. Zone 52 was issued “set” pre-evacuation orders, and zone 55, bordering the south side of Meeker, was issued “ready” orders.

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Zones 40, 41 and 42 were also issued “ready” orders around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The Walbridge Wing of the Pioneers Medical Center in Meeker began evacuations around 4 p.m. Wednesday as a “precautionary measure,” the hospital said in a statement.

The Lee Fire crossed Colorado Highway 13 at approximately 3:30 p.m., officials said. Air tankers were dropping fire retardant and helicopters were dropping water to slow the spread of the fire.

“The fire looks scary from (Meeker), however, there are natural barriers between the fire and town, which include irrigated fields,” the Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“The grass and irrigated fields are holding the fire, but the potential for the fire to jump is high, which is why we are pre-emptively evacuating,” continued the sheriff’s office.

Officials were expecting both fires to remain extremely active throughout Wednesday due to dry, hot weather conditions and gusty winds.

A Red Flag Warning was issued for much of western Colorado, including Routt, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties. The warning will remain in effect at least through 8 p.m. Wednesday.

An Air Quality Health Advisory for wildfire smoke was also issued, extending through 9 a.m. Thursday.

As of around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, air quality conditions were unhealthy for sensitive groups in Steamboat Springs, with the air quality index at 106, according to AirNow. Air quality for Hayden was at 116, also considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Air quality conditions in Meeker were at 155 and considered, at around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, evacuation orders were in place for the following areas:

• Colo. 13 from mile marker 38 to mile marker 27 — both sides of the road
• Rio Blanco County Road 8 from mile marker 11 to mile marker 16
• Sleepy Cat to Lake Avery — north side of the road
• Rio Blanco County Road 40
• Rio Blanco County Road 49
• Rio Blanco County Road 63
• Recreationists near Yellow Jacket, Fawn Creek, Sleepy Cat Peak, Sawmill, and Forest Service Road 250
• Rio Blanco County Road 22 (Little Hills) off Rio Blanco County Road 5
• Rio Blanco County Road 76 between Rio Blanco County Road 3 and C.R. 5
• Colorado Highway 64 from mile marker 58 to mile marker 67
• South of Colorado 64, including Rio Blanco County Road 127, Rio Blanco County Road 129, Rio Blanco County Road 66 and Brightwater Lane
• Rio Blanco County Road 33

Livestock can be taken to the Rio Blanco County Fairgrounds, 700 Sulphur Creek Road in Meeker, according to Watch Duty. General evacuations are being directed to Fairfield Center at 200 Main Street in Meeker.

As of Wednesday morning, Meeker residents were not under a pre-evacuation order, but officials were urging everyone to be prepared.

In addition to the road closures and evacuations, Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area, Rio Blanco Lake State Wildlife Area, Colorow Mountain State Wildlife Area and Piceance State Wildlife Area are closed until further notice, according to a Tuesday evening Colorado Parks and Wildlife news release.

Gates at the properties will remain open to aid firefighting efforts. CPW is asking the public to respect the closures in place despite the open gates.

The White River National Forest has also issued a public forest closure for firefighter and public safety in the area of the Elk Fire in Rio Blanco County, according to a Tuesday U.S. Forest Service news release.

Temporary Flight Restriction areas were also increased for Wednesday to provide fire aviation resources a safe working environment. Pilots are advised to review the new Temporary Flight Restriction areas.

The Lee Fire was “extremely active” due to weather conditions on Tuesday, spreading further to the east and south, said the Wednesday morning news release.

Fire resources planned to work on structure protection on the east and west sides of the Lee Fire throughout the day Wednesday and hoped to continue to slow its spread on the south side.

The Elk Fire saw less activity on Tuesday, allowing fire crews to slow its spread on the south end of the fire along Rio Blanco County Road 8, states the release. Crews also worked to prevent the fire from crossing the Beaver Creek Drainage on the north and east side of the Elk Fire, and continued structure protection.

Fire crews will continue to work on structure protection from the Elk Fire on Wednesday and attack the south end of the fire.

As of Wednesday morning, seven aircraft, nine engines, seven hand crews and three pieces of heavy equipment were on the scenes attacking both fires, totaling over 230 fire personnel.

Over the weekend, Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency to support the Elk Fire. Yesterday, he updated the disaster emergency to include the Lee Fire, according to a Wednesday news release from the governor’s office.

With the disaster declaration, the State Emergency Operations and Resource Mobilization Plans have been activated.

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management coordinates the overall state response during a disaster emergency through the State Emergency Operations Center and deployment of field operations staff, states the release.

The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office will host a community meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Meeker High School to answer questions about the Elk and Lee fires and provide updated information about fire activity.

To view an update video from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, visit TinyUrl.com/32xpb64d.

For fire information, visit App.WatchDuty.org.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.