The containment of a wildfire burning near Meeker dropped Monday as strong winds pushed the flames to consume thousands more acres, according to fire officials.

The 116,859-acre Lee fire is burning southwest of Meeker and, as of Monday evening, was Colorado’s fifth-largest wildfire on record . It’s also the largest wildfire currently burning in the state.

By Monday, four wildfires in western Colorado — including the Lee fire — had consumed nearly 138,000 acres.

The Lee and Elk fires near Meeker

Two lightning-sparked wildfires burning on either side of Meeker in Rio Blanco County charred more than 130,000 acres between when they started on Aug. 2 and Monday evening.

The Lee fire, which started southwest of Meeker and is spreading toward Rifle in Garfield County, was last mapped at 11

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