On the heels of raging wildfires in Colorado, Governor Jared Polis has taken formal steps to acknowledge the severity of the situation. Documentation of verbal disaster declarations for the recent Elk and Lee Fires in Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties, along with the Leroux Fire in Delta County, has been solidified through the signing of two Executive Orders. These administrative moves served not only to validate the seriousness of the blazes but also to ensure continued support for the affected communities.
Initially responding to the Elk Fire with a verbal declaration on August 3, Governor Polis expanded his order on August 5 to include the Lee Fire, fueled by the same dry weather conditions and battling a shared frontline of firefighters. According to the Colorado Governor's Office, the Elk Fire met its containment on August 17, having scorched 14,518 acres. Burning alongside, the Lee Fire has laid waste to 137,758 acres, earning the dread distinction of being the fifth largest wildfire in the state's recorded history, sitting at 90% contained as of August 27.
With the recovery efforts in various stages across these terrains, the Governor has also authorized the deployment of unarmed Colorado National Guard personnel to support these suppression efforts, a decision inked into permanence with his Executive Order dated August 6. This, alongside the initial declarations and subsequent efforts, highlights a concerted movement by the state's leadership to combat and manage an increasingly ardent threat, the wildfires that seem to grow in ferocity and frequency each passing year.
