DENVER — Firefighters are starting to gain ground against the Lee Fire burning in Rio Blanco and Garfield counties, which has grown to become the fifth-largest wildfire in Colorado history, scorching more than 113,000 acres since it broke out on Aug. 2.

Over the weekend, the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) announced it had begun evacuating 179 people in custody from the Rifle Correctional Center in response to the rapidly evolving Lee Fire, as firefighters described some of the challenges on the southern edge of the fire brought forth by the weather and drought conditions.

Those inmates were being transferred to other CDOC facilities, officials with the agency said.

Extreme fire behavior is expected to continue Monday, especially around the southern portions of the County Road

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