As Lee Fire gets closer to communities, Rifle residents get updates from officials at meeting

LEE FIRE MEEKER
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Columns of smoke rise over the Lee Fire south of Meeker, Aug. 11, 2025.

Two people stand with their dogs on leashes inside a building.
Tom Hesse/CPR News
LEE FIRE MEEKER
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Longtime Meeker resident Libby Morton greets two of the four horses she’s boarding at her home. Morton says she was one of three “strong, independent Western women” on her block who opted to stay put when authorities warned residents to evacuate earlier in the week.

LEE FIRE MEEKER
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Columns of smoke rise over the Lee Fire south of Meeker, Aug. 11, 2025.
LEE FIRE MEEKER
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Part of the Lee Fire’s north perimeter, seen from Highway 65 a few miles west Meeker on Aug. 11, 2025. The highway, which connects Meeker with Rangely, remains open.

LEE FIRE MEEKER
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Hillsides scorched by the Elk fire near Meeker, Aug, 11, 2025.
LEE FIRE MEEKER
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Firefighters were able to spare these structures from the Lee Fire, the burn scars of which encircle the property near Meeker, Aug. 11, 2025