Five active wildfires — the Lee, Elk, Oak, Stoner Mesa and Crosho fires — have charred more than 142,000 acres, or 222 square miles, on the Western Slope in recent days.

Wildfires burning east and west of Durango created smoky skies over the area and prompted evacuations and power shutoffs in the towns of Rico and Pagosa Springs. The Colorado Department of Fire

The Lee Fire near Meeker, now the fifth largest fire in Colorado's history, is just one four major fires in western Colorado threatening homes and other structures as firefighters struggle to get containment.