Evacuations Ordered for 2nd Colorado Wildfire As Blazes Continue to Burn Across West

weather.com
Published: July 12,2016
A lightning-sparked wildfire in Colorado has grown to more than 12,000 acres in size in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness prompting evacuations of more than 100 area homes, as firefighters battle several blazes in the state and across the West.

A view of the Hayden Pass Fire.
(Fremont County Sheriff's Office )

Crews had made no headway as of Tuesday morning on the Hayden Pass Fire, which is burning in heavy fuel near Coaldale. According to the Fremont County Sheriff's Office,  no structures have been lost, but there are mandatory evacuation orders in place for several areas.

Cold Springs Fire

Further north in Colorado, evacuation orders remain in effect for the Cold Springs Fire, which has burned more around 600 acres in Boulder County near Nederland and destroyed five homes.
According to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management, nearly 2,000 residents had been evacuated as of Sunday afternoon, including two men who were arrested Monday at the Nederland High School evacuation site in connection with the fire. Jimmy Andrew Suggs, 28, and Zackary Ryan Kuykendall, 26, both of Vinemont, Alabama, were booked into the Boulder County Jail on felony arson charges, the Denver Post reports, because “lives were endangered as a result of the fire.” Boulder County sheriff’s commander Mike Wagner said.

Jimmy Andrew Suggs, left, and Zachary Ryan Kuykendall were arrested in connection to the wildfire.
(Boulder County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Thus far, no deaths or injuries have been reported from the Nederland fire, but the Boulder Office of Emergency Management issued a local disaster declaration as more than 450 firefighters worked to contain the blaze. Hot, dry winds whipping down from mountain peaks have intensified the fire, which is "a 'tad' unusual" for this time of year, according to weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman, who said that afternoon thunderstorms firing over the mountains, then shifting into the Front Range and High Plains are usually an almost daily occurrence in the summer in Colorado.
"To have this intense of a fire move that fast and to just lose five structures is pretty remarkable so people have a lot to be thankful for," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told KWGN. "I'm optimistic with the change in the weather that we'll have this thing knocked.

A plane drops retardant while battling the Cold Springs Fire near Nederland, as viewed from Sugarloaf, Colo., Sunday, July 10, 2016. Fire authorities are warning that shifting high winds and high temperatures could put homes in danger. The fire that started on Saturday spread quickly.
(AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

According to weather.com meteorologist Tom Moore, the coming week won't be as windy with little chance of anything over 10 mph through Saturday.  Though there's only a slight chance for rain in the area - 20 percent on Friday - firefighters will see more moderate temperatures with highs in the upper 70s.(MORE: Winter Rudely Interrupts Summer in Parts of the Northern Rockies)

Blaze Burns in California

In California, some 2,000 Santa Clarita Valley residents have been allowed to return to their homes as firefighters continue to battle a fast-moving wildfire in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains north of Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the so-called Sage fire, the LA County Fire PIO reports, but as of late Sunday evening, the blaze was nearly half contained.
The blaze was sparked in the Stevenson Ranch area, about 35 miles north of Los Angeles, around noon local time on Saturday before quickly growing to 1.25 square miles in just hours, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said, prompting evacuations.
Over 700 firefighters have been deployed to fight the blaze with help from water-dropping aircraft as they attempted to create a perimeter around threatened homes.

(L.A. County Fire Department Public Info Desk)

"We are having to battle with Mother Nature," said fire Captain Roland Sprewell. "The winds are blowing and the terrain is challenging. The firefighters are in dense, heavy brush, and after a five-year drought, all this vegetation is prime and ready to burn."Wind gusts in the area were about 25 mph, aiding the fire’s explosive growth.
(MORE: Alberta Wildfires Were Costliest Disaster in Canadian History)
Before nightfall Saturday, firefighters were able to contain around 15 percent of the fire, which was becoming dangerously close to Interstate 5.
"The flames were jumping in circles around our house," said Victor Roman.

2 Firefighters Killed, 1 Injured in Crash

Two Bureau of Land Management firefighters have been killed and one was injured in a crash that occurred Sunday in Nevada.
According to a BLM statement published Monday in Wildfire Today, the firefighters had been patrolling near the town of Denio following a lightning storm and were headed back to Winnemucca when they were involved in the single-vehicle crash. The Nevada Highway Patrol said tire failure may be to blame.
BLM spokesman Stephen Clutter said the injured firefighter was in stable condition after being airlifted to a Reno hospital.
MORE: Western Wildfires in June