Colorado wildfires 2013: Thousands evacuate as fast-moving fires rage
At least four major wildfires broke out along the front of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado today, burning a handful of houses and chasing people from thousands of homes.
The wildfires burning in Colorado are generating smoke plumes visible for miles, like this one from the Big Meadows Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park, visible above Longs Peak as seen today from Boulder, Colo.
Brennan Linsley/AP
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.
At least four major wildfires broke out along the front of the Rocky Mountains in聽Colorado聽Tuesday, burning a handful of houses and chasing people from thousands of homes in hot, gusty weather.
Thick smoke plumes visible for miles billowed from聽fires聽near聽Colorado聽Springs, in southern聽Colorado, and in Rocky Mountain National Park to the north.
A wildfire in a residential area northeast of聽Colorado聽Springs forced mandatory evacuations of 2,530 homes, including some worth more than $1 million, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said.
Video from a helicopter showed several large homes engulfed in flames. Maketa said about eight homes had burned but had no exact number because the聽fire聽was moving so quickly across parched forest.
"Right now the firefighters are more focused on fighting聽fires, drawing lines. And law enforcement, to be very honest, is scrambling to get people out of there as well as do searches," Maketa said. He said firefighters have shifted from evacuation mode to search and rescue mode.
Three helicopters were battling the Black Forest聽Fire, he said. The area is not far from last summer's devastating Waldo Canyon聽Fire聽that destroyed 346 homes and killed two.
"It's very, very reminiscent of what we experienced in Waldo Canyon," Maketa said.
All the聽Colorado聽wildfires were moving quickly, driven by hot, gusty winds and record-setting temperatures.
The conditions were making it difficult to build containment lines around the聽fire, as sparks jumped across them.
"Weather is not working with us right now, but our guys are giving it a heck of a shot," Maketa said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries in any of the聽fires.
In southern聽Colorado, the Bureau of Land Management said three structures have been lost in a聽fire聽on about 300 acres near the Royal Gorge Bridge. Authorities evacuated Royal Gorge Bridge & Park.
A third wildfire in southern聽Colorado聽erupted Tuesday in rural Huerfano County. The Klikus聽Fire聽had burned an estimated 45 to 50 acres west of La Veta, prompting evacuation orders to about 200 residences northeast of the聽fire.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or structure damage.
The cause of those聽fires聽wasn't immediately confirmed.
A fourth wildfire sparked by lightning Monday in Rocky Mountain National Park quickly grew to an estimated 300 to 400 acres Tuesday. No structures were threatened.