Despite monsoonal rain, the Lee fire continues to burn in northwestern Colorado, and it is now the fourth-largest wildfire in Colorado state history.

The blaze was sparked by lightning Aug. 2 and quickly exploded, racing across dry fuels amid very high temperatures and strong winds. The fire, as of Tuesday morning, was estimated at 138,844 acres and considered 90% contained.

The Lee fire surpassed the 2002 Hayman fire, which burned 137,760 acres, and ranks behind the Cameron Peak (208,913 acres), East Troublesome (193,812) and Pine Gulch (139,007) fires in 2020.

Aircraft with infrared technology flew over the burn area on a recent flight to get a clearer picture of the fire’s size, after several previous flights were canceled because of bad weather.

The probability of rain is 100% in

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