A new wildfire in southwest Colorado promoted evacuations Friday near the town of Bayfield in La Plata County.

A county news release said the Blue Ridge Fire was burning in the Forest Lakes subdivision. It had grown during the day from 3-5 acres to 25 acres, according to Watch Duty.

The fire was one of two new blazes reported in the state, where fires have burned more than 200,000 acres. The other new fire reported on Friday was the Yellowjacket fire, on White River National Forest lands near Meeker. It also was about 5 acres in mid-afternoon.

The largest of the Colorado blazes is the Lee fire, which was at 133,954 acres as of Friday evening.

That fire prompted an evacuation in Garfield County Thursday as crews began to reach further containment.

Zone 81, northwest of Rifle, was given Garfield County’s first full evacuation order related to the Lee fire after winds continued to push the flames south, according to the Elk and Lee Fire Information page on Facebook.

Begun nearly two weeks ago, the Lee fire has ballooned from a 700-acre fire to one that’s nearing 134,000 in Rio Blanco County, according to a Friday morning post on the page. Despite the growth, the fire’s 12% containment is easily the highest amount crews have reached, a sign that officials’ confidence about the current state of mitigation earlier in the week was not misplaced.

Officials optimistic as Lee fire surpasses 121,000 acresJust last week, the fire came within half a mile of the Western Slope town of Meeker, prompting crews to use direct emergency measures to prevent the blaze from getting to the town. Both state and federal resources have assisted in the emergency effort, including National Guard aircraft and unmanned drones.

Thursday was the latest in several consecutive days of critical fire weather in the region, with low humidity and hot temperatures aiding the blaze’s spread southward, the page said. A spot fire just across Highway 5 on the south end of the fire never crossed into Garfield County, with lines along it remaining secure.

Officials closed Highway 5 to aid in firefighting efforts, joining it with Highway 13 as the two major roads to be closed due to the fire’s spread, according to the page. After a several-day closure, crews are focusing on making Highway 13 as safe for travel as soon as possible.

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ire grows to 5th largest in state history

Active fire behavior is expected again on Friday, with crews continuing to reinforce dozer lines along Highway 13 as shifting winds challenge them, according to the page. Drones will continue to monitor the area for hotspots, with rapid response crews ready on the ground.

Officials are expecting winds to shift back in the northeast direction toward Meeker in the coming days — a change they believe will assist containment efforts as there is no longer enough dry fuel in the area for the Lee fire to burn, effectively allowing it to burn itself out.

On another fire-front, the two-week-old Elk fire quickly spread to more than 14,000 acres before being largely contained, officials said. Directly southeast of Meeker, the fire is now at 93% containment as it has remained within established lines with little to no growth.

A total of 1,274 personnel are working on fire mitigation efforts, according to the page.

A new Rio Blanco County fire, the Crosho fire, gained attention Thursday after Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for the now-2,200 acre fire in the county’s northeast corner, according to Watch Duty. Three zones west of Highway 131 — 1, 2 and 3 — have reached direct evacuation status as the fire continues to grow.

Gov. Polis declares disaster emergency for new Colorado wildfireOfficials have created a fire information Facebook page where they will be posting updates about the Elk and Lee fires. Those looking for up-to-date information on evacuation notices and road closures should go to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, or sign up for emergency alerts at this link.

There will be a community meeting for the Elk and Lee fires at 7 p.m. Saturday at Meeker High School, 550 School Street in Meeker.

Denver Gazette partner 9News contributed to this report.