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.

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.

People living in Meeker are thanking fire crews as two wildfires continue to burn. Both are burning about 15 miles apart in Rio Blanco County. That's about five hours northwest of Colorado Springs.