Colorado wildfire burns 30,000 acres,
destroys homes
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[March 07, 2017]
By Keith Coffman
DENVER (Reuters) - A wind-driven wildfire
erupted on the eastern plains of Colorado on Monday, scorching 30,000
acres of grassland, prompting the temporary evacuation of a small
farming town and destroying at least three homes, emergency officials
said.
The fire erupted around midday east of the town of Sterling and quickly
grew out of control as gale-force winds fanned the flames, said Marilee
Johnson, spokeswoman for the Logan County Office of Emergency
Management.
Mandatory evacuations were lifted for the town of Haxtun late in the
afternoon but some 900 homes remain threatened and those residents have
been warned to prepare to flee should shifting winds drive flames their
way, she said.
The 30,000-acre fire was 50 percent contained, the Logan County Office
of Emergency Management said in a statement.
No injuries have been reported but three homes and a fourth structure
were burned to the ground. The cause of the fire was unknown.
Footage from a Denver television station showed rows of hay bales in the
agricultural area consumed by flames. More than 70 firefighters from 13
agencies were battling the blaze, emergency managers said.
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The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air
quality alert due to smoke and dust kicked up by the winds, warning
residents to stay indoors.
"This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory
illnesses, the very young and the elderly," the health department said
in a statement.
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Interstate 76 was temporarily closed due to smoke and blowing dust
but some county roads remained closed by nightfall, the state
emergency operations center said.
Schools in the towns of Caliche, Haxtun and Fleming were evacuated
as winds whipped up the grass fire in the afternoon, the state
office of emergency management said in a statement posted on its
website.
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The National Weather Service issued high wind warnings or advisories
for much of Colorado as a cold front blew across the state on
Monday, with blowing snow making for hazardous driving conditions in
the Colorado mountains.
“Expect an additional 3 to 5 inches of snow combined with west winds
of 35 to 50 mph and gusts to 70 mph,” the weather service said in a
statement.
High winds also buffeted the Denver metropolitan area, causing power
outages to nearly 600 businesses and residences for a time on
Monday, the utility company said on its online outage report.
(Editing by Nick Macfie)
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