Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority
9.7.25, 2:42. a.m. – I-70 is open at mile marker 103 westbound, near New Castle.
9.7.25, 12:57 a.m. – I-70 is closed at mile marker 103 westbound, near New Castle, due to an accident.
Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority
Garco911: I-70 eastbound reopened
Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority
9.6.25, 7:50 p.m. – I -70 is open at mile marker 116 / Glenwood Springs, eastbound, Glenwood Canyon.
9.6.25, 4:43 p.m. – I-70 is closed at mile marker 116 eastbound, Glenwood Springs, due to an accident in the canyon.
GarCo911: Highway 82 one lane open each way between mile markers 10-11 due to a fire
Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority
September 1, 2025, 5:22 p.m. – Highway 82 is open between mile-markers 10 and 11, one land in both directions, near Carbondale, due to a fire.
September 1, 2025, 4:23 p.m. – Highway 82 is closed between mile markers 10 and 11, Carbondale, in both directions due to a fire.
Garco911: Road Closed
Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority
8.28.25, 3:15 pm – All lanes of Highway 82 is open at mile marker 7 westbound, Thunder River Market.
8.28.25, 3:09 pm – Right lane of Highway 82 is open at mile marker 7 westbound, Thunder River Market. Left lane remains closed. Drive with care.
8.28.25, 2:54 pm – Highway 82 is closed at mile marker 7 westbound, Thunder River Market, due to an accident.Â
Lee Fire: Recording of the August 14 community meeting
Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority
August 15, 2025, 1:35 p.m. – Recording of the Community Meeting on August 14, 2025 at Rifle – Colorado Mountain College.
Reminder that there will be a community meeting at the Meeker High School, tomorrow, August 16 at 7 p.m.
Check your zone on this INTERACTIVE EVACUATION MAP (search your address).
The Elk and Lee Fire Information Facebook page
Garfield County: REGISTER FOR ALERTS – garco911.com, INCIDENT UPDATES/SUBSCRIBE – garfieldcounty.net, FACEBOOK – facebook.com/garcosheriff
Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office
BLM Colorado Fire
Bureau of Land Management – Colorado
U.S. Forest Service – White River National Forest
Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
Garco911: I-70 open at mile marker 105
8.12.25, 6:25 p.m. – I-70 is open at mile-marker 105 EB, New Castle exit. Left lane of the I-70 is open.
8.12.25, 4:00 pm – I-70 is closed at mile-marker 105 EB, New Castle exit, due to a fire. Use Hwy 6 from New Castle east to Canyon Creek.
8.12.25, 3:38 pm – I-70 is closed at mile-marker 105 EB, New Castle exit, due to a fire.
Garco911: No status change for Garfield County zones
Garco911 and Garfield County Sheriff’s Office
GARFIELD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE – An IPAWS message sent by Moffat County was received by some residents in Garfield County and included information about lifted evacuations. This is NOT related to the Lee Fire and no statuses in Garfield County have changed.
Current status by zone is as follows:
Zone 70-GO
Zones 71/80/81-SET
Zones 72/73-READY
You will receive another message if your zone status is changed.
Check your zone on this INTERACTIVE EVACUATION MAP (search your address).
Facebook: www.facebook.com/elkleefire
Iniciweb Lee Fire: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cowrd-lee-fire
Garfield County: REGISTER FOR ALERTS – garco911.com, INCIDENT UPDATES/SUBSCRIBE – garfieldcounty.net, FACEBOOK – facebook.com/garcosheriff
Garco911: Types of Garfield County alerts
Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority
We’ve had lots of questions about the #GarCo911 Emergency Alerting System, so here’s what you should know:
Purpose – Alerts are sent only for serious threats to life or safety, when you need to take action (evacuate, shelter in place, avoid an area). The only exception is opt-in community messages like road closures or air quality updates. Alerts are not for general updates or information.
How It Works – Using geotargeting, alerts go to people with addresses in their Everbridge account identified as being affected by responders on scene. This may be a radius from an address or a shape drawn onto a map to capture specific roads, subdivisions, or areas described by responders.
Caller ID Tip – Messages won’t show “911” on caller ID. Save the number that sends you alerts in your contacts as GarCo911 so you recognize it.
IPAWS Alerts – Like Amber Alerts, these target phones near an incident using cell towers. It’s not perfect—some outside the area may get them, some inside may not. Make sure Emergency and Public Safety Alerts are ON in your phone settings.
Read the Whole Message – We always include location details so you can tell if it affects you.
No Service or Internet? – IPAWS alerts also play on AM radio via the National Weather Service.
Garco911: WatchDuty & Local Emergency Services – What You Need to Know
Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority
Follow official sources
8.10.25, 3:00 p.m. – We know many people use WatchDuty to follow wildfire activity. It’s a fantastic tool for situational awareness, and we appreciate the dedicated volunteers who help keep it updated.
However, WatchDuty is a third-party app — meaning it is not an official emergency alert source. While it’s great for general awareness, the information is not verified by official sources and may be delayed or incomplete.
Emergency Notifications come directly from your local 911 center in coordination with responders on the ground. These alerts are:
Official and verified
Issued only for serious, confirmed threats to life or safety
Designed to tell you exactly what action to take (evacuate, shelter in place, avoid an area, etc.)
Bottom line:
WatchDuty can be used to monitor developing situations but should NOT be used in place of official, local sources. Be aware that information may not be timely, accurate, complete, and that things like maps are not coming directly from the official source.
Sign up for emergency notifications at garco911.com, follow @GarCo911 and @GarcoSheriff as well your local Police Department social media page, and check the Garfield County Emergency Operations Center website (www.garfieldcounty.net) for official instructions you can trust when seconds matter.
Make sure your Everbridge account is up to date and that Emergency and Public Safety Alerts are ON in your phone settings so you don’t miss critical messages.
Lee Fire: New zones moved to SET status
Elk and Lee Fire information update
Update – Saturday, August 9, 2025
Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3
Casey Cheesbrough, Incident Commander
Fire Information: 970-341-8665
Size: Elk Fire: 14,502 acres | Lee Fire: 88,755
Containment: Elk Fire: 8% | Lee Fire: 0%
Total Personnel: 1,245
Cause: Lightning
Resources: 13 Aircraft | 62 Engines | 21 Hand Crews | 13 Heavy Equipment
Bureau of Land Management – Colorado
Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office
Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
Bureau of Land Management Fire
U.S. Forest Service – White River National Forest
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
BLM Colorado Fire
Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority
Garfield County Sheriff’s Office – Colorado
Size: Elk Fire: 14,502 acres | Lee Fire: 88,755 Containment: Elk Fire: 8% | Lee Fire: 0%
Total Personnel: 1,245 Cause: Lightning
Resources: 13 Aircraft | 62 Engines | 21 Hand Crews | 13 Heavy Equipment
Important Notes: All updates related to the Elk and Lee Fires will be posted at: https://www.facebook.com/elkleefire/.
Road closures and evacuation notices for Rio Blanco County will still be posted on the Rio Blanco Sheriff Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/RioBlancoCountySheriffsOffice.
Evacuation information for Garfield County will be posted on the Garfield County Sheriff’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GarcoSheriff.
Yesterday: Lee Fire – Pyrocumulus clouds developed as a result of extreme fire behavior induced by high winds and extremely dry vegetation. It moved rapidly to the southeast, resulting in some spotting across CR 5. The fire did not cross into Garfield County however, the increase in activity initiated pre-evacuations in Garfield County. Aerial resources were utilized in the morning until increased winds in the early afternoon impacted the accuracy of water drops and eventually grounded the aircraft. Fire resources worked through the night to protect structures along CR 5. Firefighters conducted point protection around structures utilizing engines and dozers through the night.
Elk Fire: Smoke from the Lee Fire shaded the Elk Fire and reduced fire behavior allowing firefighters to further reinforce firelines. Structure protection resources continued monitoring and reinforcing around structures through the night.
Current Situation: Lee Fire – Firefighter and aerial resources are focusing on the spotting that occurred across CR 5 to contain the spots and keep the fire from spreading toward Hwy 13 and into Garfield County. Fire resources will continue structure protection around homes and other values at risk. Firefighters are patrolling and mopping up hot spots along the perimeter on the Hogback ridge.
Elk Fire: Firefighters will continue patrol and mop up containment lines to keep the fire from further spread. Structure protection resources will remain in place around residences and other values at risk.
Weather & Fire Behavior: A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Temperatures will range in the low to mid-80’s. Humidity’s will fall in the low teens. Winds will shift to the north/northeast mid-morning until early evening. These weather conditions along with the dry fuels are conducive to extreme fire behavior.
Evacuations and closures: Go to the Rio Branco County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page –
https://www.facebook.com/RioBlancoCountySheriffsOffice – for accurate up-to-date information on all evacuations and road closures. To sign up for emergency alerts at: https://rioblancoalerts.genasys.com/portal/en.
For Garfield County go to: https://www.garfieldcounty.net/.
White River National Forest closure information at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/alerts.
BLM White River Field Office closures information at: https://www.blm.gov/announcement/blm-colorado-issues-emergency-closure-public-lands-rio-blanco-county.
Air Quality: Current air quality for your area can be found at fire.airnow.gov.
Elk and Lee Fire Information:
Phone: 970-341-8665; Email: 2025.elkrbx@firenet.gov
Facebook: www.facebook.com/elkleefire
Iniciweb Lee Fire: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cowrd-lee-fire
Inciweb Elk Fire: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cowrd-elk-rbx-fire
New zones moved to SET status
8.9.25, 10:01 am – Zones 70 and 71: Due to the Lee Fire, you are in SET status. Prepare for sudden evacuation orders issued by Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. You will receive another message if you are updated to GO status. Check your zone on this map.
Follow these channels for updates: Elk and Lee Fire Information page, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office @garcosheriff, Garfield County 911 @garco911, and garfieldcounty.net for updates.