Colorado residents in Grand Lake were forced to evacuate on Wednesday night as wind-powered flames roared near town in central part of state
The East Troublesome Fire, which began on October 14, grew by at least around 5,000 acres on Wednesday
#EastTroublesomeFire Cont (2/2): – For the latest information on evacuations, closures and other important information follow @GrandCountyOEM and @GrandCoSheriff Maps are available at: https: // tco / skf5grFcpR- We will continue to provide information as soon as it becomes available picTwittercom / liTLN1H0Jw
Firefighters said fire activity had « increased dramatically » Wednesday night and residents of Grand Lake, which has a population of around 400, were told to leave Other areas were also subject to new evacuation orders
The blaze affected the Grand Lake area and the Highway 34 corridor, firefighters said Firefighters were working to contain the blaze on the west side of the highway, the Grand Emergency Management Office said County
There are several major forest fires in Colorado, including the largest in state history, the Cameron Peak Fire, in the mountains west of Fort Collins
« The safety of affected communities and our firefighters remains our top priority, » a statement posted on an interagency website, InciWeb, said in a statement Wednesday evening about the eastern blaze and the news. threats therein
The blaze was estimated at around 30,000 acres on Wednesday evening, fire commander Jay Winfield said in a video briefing
High winds and smoke brought down heavy helicopters and air tankers that were flying on Wednesday morning, he said The blaze is 10% under control, firefighters said earlier. p>
« At the start of the day we were hovering around that 19,000 acreage mark, growth so significant today, » Winfield said Wednesday evening
View of the house in Granby The fire exploded today The flames have only been visible for about an hour but the smoke is incredible @ 9NEWS #EastTroublesomeFire picTwittercom / mgEH95oyZC
The Cameron Peak fire, which lies northeast of the troublesome East Blaze, burned more than 206,000 acres and was 55% contained on Wednesday
It sent smoke billowing over Fort Collins and the eastern plains of Colorado, destroyed more than 100 structures and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, The Associated Press reported
Wildfires have broken out in several western states this year, including California, in what officials have called an unprecedented wildfire season
Thousands of firefighters in California battled 20 wildfires on Wednesday, 12 of which were major incidents, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Since the start of the year, more than 41 million acres in California have burnt down and more than 9,200 homes and other structures have been destroyed, according to the agency
In Oregon, wildfires this year have burned an estimated 12 million acres and destroyed more than 4,000 homes, killing nine people, according to the state office of emergency management
Colorado, Grand Lake, emergency evacuation
News from around the world – United States – Evacuations ordered as Colorado fire rages on
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
