Gov. Jared Polis has issued a verbal disaster declaration, freeing up state and federal resources for the 75-acre Oak Fire burning west of Pagosa Springs. Meanwhile, the Lee Fire has grown to one of the largest in state history. Colette Bordelon reports on the firefighting efforts on the western slope.

Colorado

The Lee Fire in western Colorado has expanded to over 100,000 acres, making it the sixth largest wildfire in the state's history. Authorities report the fire is only 6% contained, and it is one of at least 11 wildfires currently burning in the region. 

Firefighters from across the state are working long shifts to contain both the Lee and nearby Elk fires, with more than 1,000 personnel involved. Several communities have faced evacuations or pre-evacuation orders, and health officials have issued air quality advisories for multiple counties due to heavy smoke. The dry conditions are contributing to the rapid spread of these fires.

Lee Fire grows to one of Colorado's largest ever

We want to start tonight with breaking news. Governor Polis issuing another disaster declaration for a new wildfire on the Western Slope. This is the Oak Fire forcing evacuations in part of Pagosa Springs. Other nearby areas are under pre evacuation orders orders right now and the Archuleta County Sheriff says this started as a structure fire that became an out of control wildfire. The governor's disaster declaration allows the National Guard and some other state resources to respond. At the same time, At the same time, the leaf fire you can see here is now growing into the 6th largest wildfire in Colorado history, burning more than 100,000 acres. The latest update is it is just 6% contained. Thank you so much for joining us for Denver. 7 News at 10 this Sunday evening. I'm Jacqueline Allen. The leaf fire is one of at least 11 other wildfires on the Western Slope right now. It's near the Elk Fire, which is burned more than 100,000 acres at this point. Denver 7 Collette Bordelon shows us how firefighters from the front range are helping while dry conditions in Colorado are hurting. There's a sense of urgency. How much longer for dinner and every task at North Metro Fire rescue? Get it done. Cook for a lot of people. Because these firefighters know just how quickly their day can change since 90s late 90s. So about 25 years Lieutenant Bill Castonguay is the wildland coordinator. Here I've just always been on the wildland team since I've gotten on here in 2000. It feels like the Western Slope has just exploded with fires right now. Is that an unfair assessment of me to say? I I think the Western Slope is always busy with fires. Last Monday, North Metro sent four of their front range firefighters to help battle the Elk Fire in Rio Blanco County. So usually we try to provide the fire with what they need all based on our resources available here in our home unit. A neighboring fire near Meeker called the Leaf Fire is the largest in the state right now, burning more than 100,000 acres as of Sunday night. We've seen that a bunch, especially in the evenings. Once it gets dark, you know, it kind of looks like the sun's coming up. Mike Willie took these videos and pictures of the fire. And he knows it's a challenging fight ahead. Lived here all my life and it's definitely on the on the list of drier years. How dry really is this fuel that's being burned? Pretty much everything is burning like it's a dead fuel out here on the ground regardless of. Being alive or dead, things want to burn day and night, so everybody's everybody's busy. Casey Cheesebro is the incident commander of both the Elk and Leaf Fires. He says there's more than 1000 firefighters working between the two. Everybody is doing good tired. You know we've been at it a week now or just a little over a week with our firefighters and really no break. Long days and long nights for everyone on the ground. They're working about 16 hour shifts during the evening and then in the during the day they're trying to get rest rehab and North Metro knows every crew counts because when days change quickly anywhere in Colorado. So we have the right people out right now and it feels good. Feels right. These firefighters, no matter how far away, are always at the ready. Pull up portal on Denver 7. Thankful for our firefighters tonight. Another fire we're keeping our eye on is currently burning in the Moffitt County community of Craig. What you're looking at now is in the area of Yampa Ave and 13th St. This is just in the heart of the city. You can see the flames so close. Parts of the city evacuated earlier today. They've since been downgraded to pre evacuation notices, so that's good. The Moffitt County Sheriff's Office says it also started as a house fire and spread to some grass in this area. And because of the heavy smoke from all of these fires, Colorado's health officials have issued an air quality health advisory for multiple counties. Here is a list of the affected areas. They include Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen, Beaverton, and the Cedar Rapids area. Aspen, this advisories in place from now until 9 tomorrow morning. So in these areas you may want to consider limiting your time outdoors, especially if you have pre existing health conditions. If visibility is less than 5 miles in your neighborhood, officials say smoke has reached levels that are considered unhealthy.

The shooter who killed 2 kids and injured 17 at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis had ties to the church where he targeted children celebrating a new school year during mass.

Minneapolis

Annunciation school shooter had knowledge of church he targeted

The White House is responding to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Susan Monarez's refusal to step down from her role. CBS News' Olivia Rinaldi reports.

Washington

White House reacts to CDC director refusing to step down from role

In Tehran on Thursday, Iran’s currency traded at over 1 million to $1. At the time of the 2015 accord, it traded at 32,000 to $1, showing the currency’s precipitous collapse in the time since.

Tehran

Europe prepares sanctions as Iran's currency falls

Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed in a school shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis. The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics. Warning, this video is difficult to watch.

FBI investigating Minneapolis Catholic school shooting as hate crime

UN officials and aid agencies have warned that famine in Gaza is no longer a looming threat but a present reality, with children increasingly dying of hunger. In a blunt address to the UN Security Council, officials described the famine and widespread hunger in the enclave as “engineered” and “man-made” disasters.

New York

Middle East Conflict

UN Security Council affirms Gaza famine is manmade

Denmark summoned the top U.S. diplomat in the country to protest what Danish officials say is an unprecedented effort by people close to U.S. President Donald Trump to conduct secret influence operations in Greenland.

Copenhagen

Denmark accuses U.S. of covert operations in Greenland

Two young children were killed, and 17 others were injured in a shooting during a Catholic Mass packed with young students in Minneapolis. The gunman is also dead.

Minneapolis Catholic school shooting leaves two children dead

The group is accused of attempting to infiltrate Greenlandic society, including allegedly recruiting locals for a new independence movement from Denmark, according to the Danish public broadcaster, DR, who was first to break the story.

Nuuk

Denmark summons U.S envoy over claimed interference in Greenland

SpaceX on Tuesday launched its Super Heavy-Starship, the most powerful rocket in the world, for a test flight after three other flights failed earlier this year. NASA hired SpaceX to build a lunar lander version of Starship to carry astronauts to the moon.

Starbase

SpaceX launches Super Heavy-Starship in test flight

The United States has doubled tariffs on many imports from India to 50 percent, as U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his threat to punish New Delhi for buying discounted Russian oil.

New Delhi

Global Tariffs

U.S. raises India tariffs to 50 percent over Russian oil purchases

President Donald Trump said he would seek the death penalty for murders in Washington, as part of a crackdown on what he calls out-of-control crime in the US capital.

Trump endorses death penalty return in Washington D.C.

As the Israeli military gives an initial assessment of deadly strikes on a Gaza hospital, hundreds of thousands of protesters urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire with Hamas in exchange for a hostage deal.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Protesters urge Netanyahu to reach hostage deal

Cracker Barrel says it will go back to its old logo after facing intense backlash and seeing its company value to sink by nearly $100 million after switching to a new design last week. In a statement, Cracker Barrel thanked their guests for sharing their voices.

Cracker Barrel scrapping new logo, returning to old one after backlash

The small West Tennessee town of Mason, just 2 square miles in size, is home to about 1,000 people. But its residents are now divided by what a new immigration detention facility will mean for the area.

Mason

Small Tennessee town divided over new ICE detention facility

A standoff is brewing between President Trump and economist Lisa Cook. Mr. Trump tried to fire her, claiming "there is sufficient cause" to believe that Cook made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements.

Trump clashes with Fed board member Lisa Cook, pushing to oust her

Protesters demanding an end to the Gaza war and the return of hostages to their homes took to the streets in Israel on Tuesday ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for the evening.

Israeli protesters demand hostage deal as cabinet set to meet

Australia accused Iran on Tuesday (August 26) of executing two antisemitic arson attacks in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne and gave Tehran's ambassador seven days to leave the country, its first such expulsion since World War Two.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australia expels Iranian envoy over antisemitic attacks

President Donald Trump announced the removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the only Black woman to serve on the board. Critics call it an attack on the Fed's independence, while Cook says no legal cause exists for her firing.

Trump says he fired Lisa Cook from Federal Reserve board

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating new National Guard units, including a rapid-response force to handle what the administration calls civil disturbances.

White House authorizes creation of rapid-response National Guard units

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI sued Apple and ChatGPT maker OpenAI in U.S. federal court in Texas, accusing them of illegally conspiring to thwart competition for artificial intelligence.

Texas

Rise of AI

Elon Musk's xAI sues Apple, OpenAI over competition claims

Strikes on the Nasser hospital in Gaza that left at least 20 people dead, including rescuers, journalists and health-care workers are being met with global outrage. The Israeli military is investigating what Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu called a ‘tragic mishap.’

Israeli PM calls deadly strikes on Gaza hospital a ‘tragic mishap’

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in ICE custody and is facing deportation to Uganda, the Department of Homeland Security says, after he was released from criminal custody last week.

Baltimore

Abrego Garcia in ICE custody, court blocks immediate deportation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will meet with the U.S. and other countries this week to discuss a potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at reaching a ceasefire.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskiy say he will meet with U.S., others on potential Putin talks

U.S. President Donald Trump says Chicago could be the next city to see National Guard deployment, sparking strong opposition from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, who argue crime is already falling and federal intervention is unnecessary.

Chicago

Trump threatens to send National Guard troops to Chicago

Four journalists working with Reuters, Al Jazeera and others were killed in explosions at a Gaza hospital. Gaza officials blame Israeli drone strikes, though CBS News has not independently verified the claims.

Jerusalem

Four journalists reported dead after Gaza hospital blasts

U.S. National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington D.C. as part of what President Donald Trump said was his crackdown on crime began carrying weapons on Sunday night, two officials said.

National Guard patrolling Washington DC begin carrying weapons

In a visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Mark Carney affirmed Canada’s support for Ukraine and committed to sending soldiers if a ceasefire with Russia is reached.

Carney in Kyiv pledges support, possibly troops for Ukraine

The Pickett Fire is growing in California's Napa County, prompting new evacuations as it threatens homes and wineries. The flames, fueled by scorching temperatures and dry conditions, are being battled by hundreds of first responders.

Napa Valley

Evacuations ordered in California as heatwave fuels wildfire

Democrats are pushing back against President Trump's plan to send the National Guard to more cities, including Chicago, New York and Baltimore, as troops continue to patrol Washington, D.C. State and local leaders say they have crime under control.

Democrats slam Trump's plans to send National Guard to more cities

Beef prices are at record highs with the average price of a pound of ground beef topping $6. Lisa Rozner reports on what's causing prices to soar.

Breakdown