Large wildfires on Wednesday grew across the western US, keeping thousands of people out of their homes for Independence Day and forcing some strict bans on fireworks to prevent new fires from igniting in the hot, dry region.
The US National Interagency Fire Center on Wednesday reported more than 60 large, active blazes across the country, most in the drought-stricken west, where holiday festivities could lead to increased fire danger.
The third-largest fire in recorded Colorado history kept expanding, chewing through 381km2 near Fort Garland, about 330km southwest of Denver.
The spring fire has destroyed more than 100 homes and more than 2,000 have been evacuated.
Officials said that preventing the flames from spreading toward the small mountain town of Cuchara is a priority.
Nearly 1,000 firefighters were working to gain control of the fire in unpredictable winds, but it was only slightly contained since sparking on Wednesday last week.
“We’re holding our own,” Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team commander Shane Greer told residents. “There’s some good firefighting going on out there.”
In Eagle County, authorities on Wednesday night urged residents in a mobile home park to evacuate after Lake Christine quickly grew in size due to erratic winds.
Elsewhere, on the holiday, fireworks displays were scheduled to go on in Denver and other large cities, but several mountain communities called off their festivities to avoid any risk of flames.
In the southwestern mountain town of Silverton, a fireworks display was canceled in favor of live music and a parade. Aspen officials planned a fire-proof display using drone lights in place of fireworks.
Parts of Colorado and other Western states have been grappling with severe drought that has made wildfires explosive this season.
Utah authorities ordered more residents to evacuate as a blaze grew to at least 160km2 near a popular fishing reservoir amid high wind gusts, steep terrain and dry conditions.
It was not clear how many more people were told to flee, but several hundred homes and cabins have been evacuated.
The growing fire forced authorities to shut down high-tension power lines in the area on Wednesday evening.
The fire, about two hours southeast of Salt Lake City, has destroyed about 30 structures.
Officials in Utah closed a portion of Strawberry Reservoir so that planes could scoop water and drop it onto the flames.
On Wednesday afternoon, authorities also ordered evacuations of a campground and nearby subdivisions after flames moved closer to the reservoir.
Officials believe that the fire was human-caused, but they are still investigating how it started on Sunday.
In northern California, officials reported some progress against a wildfire threatening hundreds of buildings, but cautioned that wind and dry conditions could keep fueling the flames.
The fire, which has scorched 334km2 in a rural area northwest of Sacramento, was slightly more contained than the previous day, officials said.
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