Plumes of smoke from a wildfire near Cimarron, N.M., rise in the background Friday, June 1, 2018. A wildfire raced across a swath of tinder-dry forest in northeastern New Mexico on Friday, sending up a thick plume of smoke that forced residents to flee their homes as heat and wind threatened to drive the flames. Credit: Justin Hawkins Credit: Justin Hawkins The town of Cimarron has been forced under mandatory evacuations, and nearly 300 structures are in the fire’s path. Cimarron normally has a population of about 900. But with the mandatory evacuations, it’s a ghost town. @KOB4 pic.twitter.com/2DqaMtbabL — Emily Jaceks (@EmilyJaceks) June 2, 2018 The Philmount Scout Ranch owned by the Boy Scouts of America has suffered extensive damage from the fire with over two dozen structures destroyed, CNN reports. The ranch had already been evacuated and no injuries have been reported. In Colorado, the 416 Fire near Durango in La Plata County has burned about 1,100 acres, according to InciWeb. View of the #416Fire from Incident Command at Trimble Crossing. pic.twitter.com/RMCAIFqm8I — Alex Semadeni (@awsemadeni) June 2, 2018 About 1,500 residents have evacuated but there have been no reports of structure damage.<doc-sep>What it looks like when a wildfire rips through town Photo taken on April 15, 2018 shows firemen tackling a bushfire burning at Voyager Point, south of Sydney. Hundreds of firefighters were battling a large bushfire that burnt near Sydney homes, with authorities saying on April 16, 2018 that it was "miraculous" no homes were damaged and no-one was injured. / AFP PHOTO / CARLOS COUTINHO (Photo credit should read CARLOS COUTINHO/AFP/Getty Images) epaselect epa06372496 A Los Angeles County Fire helicopter flies over during the 'Skirball Fire' which began early morning in Bel-Air, California, USA, 06 December 2017. An outbreak of several fires North of Los Angeles has occurred as one of the strongest Santa Ana winds forecast of the season is ongoing and expected to last several days. EPA-EFE/JOHN CETRINO Inmate firefighters work as flames from the County Fire climb a hillside in Guinda, California, on July 1, 2018. - Californian authorities have issued red flag weather warnings and mandatory evacuation orders after a series of wildfires fanned by high winds and hot temperatures ripped through thousands of acres. The latest blaze, the County Fire sparked in Yolo County on June 30, had by July 1 afternoon spread across 22,000 acres (9,000 hectares) with zero percent containment, according to Cal Fire. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images) In this Friday, July 27, 2018 photo, a firefighting helicopter makes a water drop as the sun sets over a ridge burning near Redding, Calif., in efforts against the Carr Fire. Scorching heat, winds and dry conditions complicated firefighting efforts. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee/ AP Fire burns in Karbole, Sweden, on July 15, 2018. - Due to the dry weather, 80 wildfires burned in Sweden. (Photo by Mats ANDERSSON / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read MATS ANDERSSON/AFP/Getty Images) With fires raging near Redding, CA, we re-visit Santa Rosa where entire neighborhoods were wiped out by the Tubbs fire, and residents are still trying to recover. Why wildfires are becoming the new normal A plume of smoke from a wildfire rises behind Philmont Scout Ranch, Friday, June 1, 2018, near Cimarron, N.M. A wildfire raced across a swath of tinder-dry forest in northeastern New Mexico on Friday, sending up a thick plume of smoke that forced residents to flee their homes as heat and wind threatened to drive the flames. (Marty Mayfield/KRTN Radio via AP) (CNN) — Massive wildfires in California, Colorado and New Mexico have torched thousands of acres and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes. By Sunday, the Ute Park Fire in New Mexico had grown to more than 31,000 acres, according to the US Forest Service spokeswoman Judith Dyess. Since it broke out Thursday, the fire has forced 2,200 people in the area to evacuate their homes, Dyess told CNN. The small community of Ute Park, with a population of about 70, was evacuated overnight. Officials are hopeful that rain in Sunday’s forecast will give firefighters battling the blaze a short reprieve. “We anticipate getting pretty severe thunderstorms this afternoon,” Dyess said, but added that there won’t be enough rain to significantly change long-term prospects for the fire. On Saturday, the US Forest Service said more than 500 personnel were fighting the blaze. Morgan Timms/Taosnews.com via AP Teachers cook for first responders on the scene of the Ute Park Fire in New Mexico. Jim Smith told CNN Saturday he noticed the fire on a hill above his home in the nearby village of Eagle Nest. At the time, he thought it was a small trash fire. “It’s been so dry here that once a fire starts in our part of the country, it expands rapidly,” he said. “By the time I got home, in about 15 minutes, it was covering probably four square blocks. And half an hour later, almost a square mile.” Smith and his family voluntarily evacuated, he said. It’ll be another day or so before they’ll feel safe returning home, he said. So far, about 14 outbuildings have been destroyed at the Philmont Scout Ranch, according to the US Forest Service. The ranch, which belongs to the Boy Scouts of America, had already been evacuated by the time the fire closed in on it. Colorado fire prompts state of local disaster A blaze known as the 416 Fire in Colorado’s La Plata County had grown to 2,250 acres and was 10% contained on Sunday, according to authorities. Like officials in New Mexico, Colorado’s firefighters were looking for help from two storms forecast for the area, according to Vickie Russo with the US Forest Service. Russo said authorities were in discussions to reopen US 550, a major traffic artery between Silverton and Durango, Colorado. The highway had been shut down while firefighters worked to prevent the 416 Fire – burning on the west side of the highway – from crossing to the east. #461Fire at approximately 1,100 acres as of 7:30. Here’s final report for today: https://t.co/uiOtzZr1wK pic.twitter.com/BxrMOo4BP8 — La Plata County, CO (@LaPlataCountyCO) June 2, 2018 But since then, Russo said, businesses and residents in Durango have had trouble getting their hands on supplies. The highway may be opened to traffic with law enforcement escorts, Russo said. Thousands of residents in the area remained evacuated Sunday. By Friday evening, the blaze had prompted La Plata County Manager Joanne Spina to declare a state of local disaster. US Forest Service spokesman Jim Mackensen told CNN on Saturday that 1,500 residents had been forced to evacuate. Thousands flee fire in Laguna Beach A vegetation fire in Laguna Beach, California, about 50 miles south of Los Angeles, has torched about 250 acres. More than 400 firefighters are fighting the blaze, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. There was 0% containment as of Saturday night. No injuries or damaged structures have been reported in the blaze, dubbed the Aliso Fire, but about 2,000 Laguna Beach residents had been evacuated by Saturday. Some of the mandatory evacuations were lifted Saturday night, but they remained in effect for the Top of the World neighborhood, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.<doc-sep>A wildfire burning in southwest Colorado had grown to some 2,250 acres by Sunday evening, officials announced. The blaze, dubbed the 416 fire, sparked north of the city of Durango Friday morning. Around 400 firefighters were working to combat the fire, which was only about 10 percent contained, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Mandatory evacuation orders remained in place for more than 800 homes, while the residents of another 700 homes were told to be ready to evacuate at any time. It remained unclear when residents would be able to return to their homes. "Unfortunately, the fire is above the mountain and above those homes," said Shawna Hartman, a spokeswoman for the incident management team commanding the fire response Sunday, according to the Durango Herald. "With the drought and the fuel opening, the potential for spotting is very, very high at this time. It's still possible that the hot spots that remain on the fire's edge along the corridor could jump the highway. With the weather we're predicting for the next few days, we want to make sure we can hold that line before we allow residents back in." Parts of Highway 550, closed as a result of the fire, were expected to reopen Monday, though authorities said roads could close again at any time. It remained unclear how the fire started. Sunday brought rain to the area, though authorities said it did significantly not help firefighting efforts. An evacuation center was open at Escalante Middle School in Durango, while a livestock evacuation center was open at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. Elsewhere in the western United States, other wildfires continued to burn. In New Mexico, the 36,000 acre Ute Park Fire destroyed about 14 structures over the weekend. The fire was about 23 percent contained Monday. In Laguna Beach, California, the Aliso Viejo fire forced mandatory evacuations as it burned through about 150 acres. The Aliso Viejo fire was about 40 percent contained.<doc-sep>At a Glance Two separate wildfires have forced evacuations in both Colorado and New Mexico. The so-called '416 Fire' in Colorado has burned into the San Juan National Forest and spurred 800+ homes to be vacated. 14 buildings have been destroyed in the New Mexico inferno, with another 300 homes are threatened, officials said. A quickly spreading wildfire in southwest Colorado has spurred evacuations for over 800 homes, La Plata County officials told the Associated Press. The blaze, dubbed the "416 Fire," was spotted north of Durango Friday morning and was being fueled by shifting winds onto the San Juan National Forest. Nearly three square miles were scorched by Saturday night. The fire is 10 percent contained. In addition to the 800+ homes or 1,500 people vacated, another 760 homes were told to be ready to leave on a moment's notice. 500 residences are threatened in the Highway 550 corridor, according to InciWeb, a government incident information system. U.S. Highway 550 was closed overnight and the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad canceled all rides through June 10 due to the severe fire danger. Several witnesses have indicated that the inferno was sparked someone near the train tracks, but no official cause has been released, says the Durango Herald. Ute Park Fire, New Mexico Residents have been ordered to evacuate an area of northern New Mexico as an aggressive wildfire quickly burned more than 25 square miles of land by Friday afternoon. The so-called Ute Park Fire destroyed 14 unoccupied structures at the Boy Scouts' Philmont Ranch overnight as it burned near Highway 64 in Ute Park. About 300 homes are threatened by the blaze, officials told the Associated Press. Advertisement The inferno was advancing on state and private land Friday night, not far from the town of Ute Park, which is home to about 100 people and is located some 100 miles northeast of Santa Fe. (MORE: Why the Start to June Might Be a Little Different for Some) Cimarron is under a mandatory evacuation order, according to KOB.com, but Cimarron was not in any imminent danger according to Cimarron village Councilor Matthew Gonzales. After the wildfire jumped Highway 64, the roadway was closed between Cimarron and Eagle Nest, the Taos News said. Several other roads in the area were also closed. The community of Ute Park was under a mandatory evacuation order but is now under advisory evacuations as the fire no longer poses a threat. The fire had no containment and the cause was under investigation, authorities said Friday. Officials also said the fire danger forced the closure of the Santa Fe National Forest Friday morning, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. It will remain closed until conditions improve, the report added. "Under current conditions, one abandoned campfire could cause a catastrophic wildfire, and we are not willing to take that chance with the natural and cultural resources under our protection and care," National Forest Supervisor James Melonas said in a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican. Northern New Mexico has been in a prolonged period of extreme drought. Areas in and around Ute Park are currently in exceptional drought – the worst category – according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.<doc-sep>
What it looks like when a wildfire rips through town Photo taken on April 15, 2018 shows firemen tackling a bushfire burning at Voyager Point, south of Sydney. Hundreds of firefighters were battling a large bushfire that burnt near Sydney homes, with authorities saying on April 16, 2018 that it was "miraculous" no homes were damaged and no-one was injured. / AFP PHOTO / CARLOS COUTINHO (Photo credit should read CARLOS COUTINHO/AFP/Getty Images) epaselect epa06372496 A Los Angeles County Fire helicopter flies over during the 'Skirball Fire' which began early morning in Bel-Air, California, USA, 06 December 2017. An outbreak of several fires North of Los Angeles has occurred as one of the strongest Santa Ana winds forecast of the season is ongoing and expected to last several days. EPA-EFE/JOHN CETRINO Inmate firefighters work as flames from the County Fire climb a hillside in Guinda, California, on July 1, 2018. - Californian authorities have issued red flag weather warnings and mandatory evacuation orders after a series of wildfires fanned by high winds and hot temperatures ripped through thousands of acres. The latest blaze, the County Fire sparked in Yolo County on June 30, had by July 1 afternoon spread across 22,000 acres (9,000 hectares) with zero percent containment, according to Cal Fire. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images) In this Friday, July 27, 2018 photo, a firefighting helicopter makes a water drop as the sun sets over a ridge burning near Redding, Calif., in efforts against the Carr Fire. Scorching heat, winds and dry conditions complicated firefighting efforts. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee/ AP Fire burns in Karbole, Sweden, on July 15, 2018. - Due to the dry weather, 80 wildfires burned in Sweden. (Photo by Mats ANDERSSON / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read MATS ANDERSSON/AFP/Getty Images) With fires raging near Redding, CA, we re-visit Santa Rosa where entire neighborhoods were wiped out by the Tubbs fire, and residents are still trying to recover. Why wildfires are becoming the new normal A plume of smoke from a wildfire rises behind Philmont Scout Ranch, Friday, June 1, 2018, near Cimarron, N.M. A wildfire raced across a swath of tinder-dry forest in northeastern New Mexico on Friday, sending up a thick plume of smoke that forced residents to flee their homes as heat and wind threatened to drive the flames. (Marty Mayfield/KRTN Radio via AP) (CNN) — Massive wildfires in California, Colorado and New Mexico have torched thousands of acres and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes. A blaze known as the 416 Fire in Colorado’s La Plata County has burned 1,100 acres, US Forest Service spokesman Jim Mackensen told CNN on Saturday. The fire, about 15 miles outside the town of Durango, is 0% contained and has forced the evacuations of 1,500 residents, Mackensen said. No structures have been destroyed, he added. #461Fire at approximately 1,100 acres as of 7:30. Here’s final report for today: https://t.co/uiOtzZr1wK pic.twitter.com/BxrMOo4BP8 — La Plata County, CO (@LaPlataCountyCO) June 2, 2018 By Friday evening, the blaze had prompted La Plata County Manager Joanne Spina to declare a state of local disaster. Grass, brush and timber continued to fuel the fire on Saturday morning. The fire broke out on the west side of US 550, according to a Forest Service update posted on InciWeb, a government-operated multiagency fire response site. That highway is closed as firefighters work to prevent the fire from crossing it. About 825 homes were under mandatory evacuation orders Saturday, and another 760 were under a pre-evacuation notice. Residents were told to be ready to leave if necessary. Temperatures in the area were still high, Mackensen said, adding the forecast for Sunday shows a 50% chance of thunderstorms. It should help, he said, but “being that they are thunderstorms, they could cause another fire.” Hundreds of firefighters battling New Mexico fire And a massive fire in Colfax County, New Mexico, had grown to 27,290 acres by Saturday morning and was 0% contained, according to InciWeb. Nearly 450 personnel were battling that fire. A mandatory evacuation order was in place for the town of Cimarron, where 296 structures were threatened by the blaze, called the Ute Park Fire, InciWeb said. Jim Smith told CNN he noticed the fire on a hill above his home in the nearby village of Eagle Nest. At the time, he thought it was a small trash fire.