Wildfires encroach on homes near Denver as heat hinders fight
DENVER — a forest fire on the outskirts of metro Denver crept to within a quarter mile of evacuated homes, but authorities said Thursday they were hopeful that hundreds of threatened homes could be saved as they battled scorching temperatures and firefighters suffered from heat exhaustion.
The fire was one of many threatening fires in a densely populated area. areas of the Colorado foothills, including one in in which a person was killed earlier this week.
Almost 100 major fires are raging across the western US The largest — Fire in Northern California park — set fire to more than 400 homes and other buildings, officials said Thursday.
New large fires reported in Idaho, southeast Montana and North Texas.
The Quarry Fire southwest of Denver’s Littleton suburb has affected several large neighborhoods. Nearly 600 homes were ordered to evacuate after the fire of unknown origin spread rapidly Tuesday night.
Five firefighters were injured Wednesday, four of whom suffered from heat exhaustion, said Mark Techmeyer of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire was burning in steep terrain that made it difficult to get to, but it was contained to less than half a square mile (1.4 square kilometers) with no homes destroyed, authorities said. Officials said it remained a major hazard, with high temperatures and low humidity raising the fire danger again Thursday.
“This is not easy, folks,” Techmeyer said during a news conference at the fire as heavy equipment roared past. “It’s 98 degrees. It’s hot. They’re carrying a lot of equipment that they’re carrying and they’re doing a very physical job.”
The fire department’s main objective was to prevent the flames from spreading to a road on the north side, where densely populated neighborhoods are located.
“If we lose control of that fire and it spreads to the north side, it would be a nightmare for us,” he said.
Miles north, near the town of Lyons, Colorado, officials reported progress on the Stone Canyon Fire, which has killed one person and destroyed five homes. The cause is under investigation.
The arson-caused Park Fire in California northeast of Chico continued to grow, covering about 610 square miles (1,590 square kilometers) as of Thursday morning. That’s more than 25 times the size of New York’s Manhattan Island.
Losses also mounted. The latest updates counted 437 structures destroyed and 42 damaged, according to Cal Fire. The fire was 18% contained.
Authorities said they faced critical fire conditions in the coming days, with temperatures likely to top 90 degrees, thunderstorms and erratic winds. Nearly 6,000 firefighters were helping to battle the Park Fire, with more firefighters arriving from Utah and Texas.
Scientists say extreme wildfires are becoming more frequent and devastating in the western US and other parts of the world. climate change is warming the planet and droughts become more severe.
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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.