DENVER — Officials announced Saturday that the lightning-sparked Elk Fire, first reported on Aug. 2, 11 miles west of Meeker in Rio Blanco County, is fully contained.

Containment of the 137,465-acre blaze comes after the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office downgraded several evacuation zones.

Meanwhile, some evacuees of another Rio Blanco County fire, the 2,004-acre Crosho Fire, were allowed to return home Saturday.

Officials have determined that it is safe for residents to return to Zones 3 and 4.

Images showing the devastation to Colorado’s landscape caused by several wildfires on the Western Slope were also released Saturday.

The photos show just how fast the lightning-sparked fires spread in Rio Blanco County amid extreme and exceptional drought conditions.

At least five homes and

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