People flee hundreds of homes threatened by Colorado blaze

[roadmaster]

More wildfires,



DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — A wildfire in southwestern Colorado forced hundreds of evacuations and was expected to reach homes by Friday, authorities said.
The week-old blaze has blackened nearly 8 square miles (20.7 square kilometers) about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Durango and is encroaching on the town of Hermosa, where residents of nearly 500 homes were told to leave Thursday.
“That’s pretty much where we’re putting everyone, most of the crews,” Vickie Russo, a spokeswoman for the team managing the blaze, told The Durango Herald . “The fire is just getting too close for comfort to those structures and the residences.”


In total, more than 1,000 homes have been evacuated, and residents of more than 1,500 homes are on notice to be ready to leave if needed. No buildings have burned so far.
“It is better to give people a window for evacuations instead of, ‘You need to leave right now because the fire is in your backyard,’” Russo said.
The fire didn’t have much control over the flames, and firefighters have had to deal with hot and dry weather, gusty winds and some inaccessible terrain. It comes as a severe drought is gripping the American Southwest, especially the area where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet.

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[Peter1469]

Durango is a cool place. Too bad.

[Tahuyaman]

Durango is a cool place. Too bad.

I lived in Colorado Springs for 5+ years. Never really liked it. However, there are some neat small towns up in the mountains.

[MisterVeritis]

I had an attractive girlfriend who was from Durango. Sometimes I wished I had married her.

[roadmaster]

‘Like dominoes’: Utah homes burn as wildfires menace US West

DENVER (AP) — A fast-moving brush fire destroyed eight homes in the Utah tourist town of Moab, while more than 3,000 people in Colorado and Wyoming fled multiple wildfires scorching the drought-stricken U.S. West on Wednesday.
The blaze in Moab, known for its dramatic red rocks, started in a wooded area Tuesday night and quickly spread to homes over less than a square mile (kilometer), Police Chief Jim Winder said. Crews were extinguishing embers Wednesday.
Moab residents Tim Clark and his girlfriend Tina Saunders grabbed their dogs, family photos and a laptop, evacuating with their home in flames.


“Those houses just started going like dominoes,” Clark told the Salt Lake Tribune . “Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!”
Police said the early investigation has ruled out natural causes for the blaze that ignited near a creek that is frequently used as a walkway in a largely blue-collar neighborhood. It was not near the tourist-heavy areas in the town known for its proximity to Arches and Canyonlands national parks

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