RIO BLANCO COUNTY, Colo. — The Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office has issued a mandatory evacuation due to the Lee Fire. Zone 63 on the south side of the fire is now under a "GO" status, meaning residents should evacuate immediately. As of Wednesday afternoon, areas south and west of Meeker are also under evacuation orders due to the Lee Fire.

New mandatory evacuations were ordered in the Lee fire late Friday night and early Saturday morning as the blaze grew nearly 30,000 acres on Colorado’s Western Slope near Meeker.

The Lee Fire burning in Western Colorado has begun racing south after winds shifted away from the town of Meeker on Friday, prompting officials to declare new evacuation zones.