Colorado wildfire jumps US Continental Divide and threatens mountain towns
Second-largest blaze on record forces closure of Rocky Mountain National Park
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
An explosive wildfire in Colorado that has already forced the evacuation of several mountain communities and the closure of Rocky Mountain National Park blackened another 45,000 acres (18,200 hectares) on Thursday as it jumped the US Continental Divide.
The East Troublesome Fire, which broke out on 14 October, has now burned 170,000 acres (68,800 hectares) and was only about five per cent contained as of Thursday afternoon, incident commander Noel Livingston said at a news briefing.
The flames have spread into Rocky Mountain National Park, prompted the National Park Service to close the entire 415 square-mile (668-square-km) expanse and the blaze has become the second-largest on record in Colorado.
The closure of the national park is in addition to more than one million acres of wilderness in Colorado that the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and state authorities have deemed off limits to the public.
The National Weather Service was forecasting continued hot, dry, windy conditions in much of Colorado, but snow and much colder weather are expected this weekend.
Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin has ordered evacuations in the area, including the tiny lakeside community of Grand Lake, which has a population of about 470.
The fire is among the latest in a brutal fire season following a long period of drought across Colorado. The cause remains under investigation.
Further north, the Cameron Peak Fire has been burning since mid-August, setting the state record for largest wildfire. It has burned more than 207,000 acres (83,770 hectares) overall and scorched swaths of Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.
The two fires are just 18 km (11 miles) apart, but Mr Livingston said it was unlikely they could merge into a massive conflagration.
On Tuesday, helicopters rescued 23 hikers and three dogs from San Juan National Forest where the small but dangerous Ice Fire had broken out on Monday in Colorado's southwestern corner near the small former mining town of Silverton.
Reuters
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments