Officials optimistic about Lee fire as it nears 117K acres

Scattered clouds were supposed to dot the skies above Highway 13 south of Craig Tuesday afternoon, but they were hardly visible beyond the distinct haze that had settled into the valley.

Ahead, the rolling hills of the Western Slope, beige and dotted with green brush, were visible only as silhouettes through the smoke. Few people were driving in either direction between Craig and its southern neighbor, Meeker; the roadway played host to more magpies than vehicles.

For the last week and a half, Colorado’s western region has been under threat from the Lee fire. Now the fifth largest recorded wildfire in state history, the blaze grew to nearly 117,000 acres Monday night, a significant uptick from its initial 700-acre estimation.

“A lot of us (initially) came in and went ‘OK, we can grab th