The lightning-sparked Elk fire southeast of Meeker in Rio Blanco County started just after noon Saturday and more than quadrupled in size throughout the evening, jumping a county road and

August begins with new wildfires burning in Colorado. Here's the latest news on the wildfires and a map of where the blazes are burning.

The Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office has issued evacuation orders for a wildfire burning southeast of Meeker. The fire, named the Elk Fire, has burned about 600 acres off Rio Blanco County Road 8 about 11 miles from Meeker,

The smoke floating over the border shared between America and Canada is now impacting air quality in states as far south as Texas, AirNow's data shows. The EPA has declared the air quality in states near the Canadian border as "unhealthy or "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

PM2.5 — is expected to push the Air Quality Index over 100, reaching levels unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, older adults, and people with heart or lung conditions.