Colorado Wildfires Prompt Evacuations - The Weather Channel

Several Wildfires Burning in Colorado, Prompting Evacuations

Two subdivisions near Bailey, Colorado, were ordered to evacuate.
Homeowners near Livermore, Colorado, voluntarily left their homes.
A third fire is being allowed to thin out dead trees.

Firefighters in Colorado are working to contain two wildfires, one of which led to mandatory evacuations.

A fire that began in Park County near the town of Bailey, Colorado, forced the evacuation of two subdivisions on Sunday.

The fire, which was about 45 miles southwest of Denver, has burned 11 acres but was close enough to rural homes to prompt evacuations along Colorado Roads 64A and 64B.

Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw told KCNC-TV that two people were shooting targets before the fire started. He speculated that a bullet may have ricocheted off a rock and created a spark.

(MORE: Southern California Wildfire Threatens Homes)

A second fire prompted residents of the Glacier View community between Red Feather Lakes and Livermore to voluntarily leave their homes on Sunday.

The McNay Fire had grown to almost a square mile and was 32% contained on Monday, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. About 450 customers remained without electricity Monday because of the fire.

It was started by a car fire, sheriff's office spokesman David Moore told the Denver Post.

The fire is burning in the Lone Pine State Wildlife Area, which was closed Monday by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials.

A third fire is being allowed to thin out trees that have been blown down or killed by beetles. The Decker Fire was started by lightning on Sept. 8 about 9 miles south of Salida, Colorado.

As of Monday, it had burned slightly more than a square mile.

The fire remains contained in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area. In parts of the wilderness area, 80% of the trees have been killed, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

"The Decker Fire is being managed," according to the agency, "to remove these high-risk fuels from the landscape for ecological benefit and to reduce the risk for catastrophic wildfire in the future."

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

Let's block ads! (Why?)