The fire — called the Twelve fire on the Bureau of Land Management’s fire dashboard — burned across 1,000 acres over the course of five hours Wednesday after sparking in Moffat County near Elk Springs, about 50 miles west of Craig, according to federal officials.

Multiple evacuation orders have been issued for Rio Blanco county in northwest Colorado due to fast-moving wildfires. The Lee Fire has nearly doubled in size as it approaches the town of Meeker.

The fire was putting out heavy smoke and flames could be seen from the highway on Wednesday evening.

The latest drought monitor shows drought conditions are worsening statewide, and fire danger is on the rise. The most dramatic change this week is in extreme drought, which increased by more than 8%, especially in Mesa, Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Garfield Counties.

Colorado's wildfires have grown to more than 60,000 acres in Rio Blanco County. See the latest on the Lee and Elk fires and a map of all the fires.

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