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. “It’s been so dry here that once a fire starts in our part of the country, it expands rapidly,” he said. Morgan Timms/Taosnews.com via AP Teachers cook for first responders on the scene of the Ute Park Fire in New Mexico. “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. Forest Service spokeswoman Judith Dyess told CNN on Saturday morning that the fire was roughly 3 miles from Cimarron and burning in that direction. High winds, which could exacerbate the blaze, were forecast for Saturday, she said. Vegetation fires in California A vegetation fire in Laguna Beach, California, has torched about 125 acres and is being fought by 75 firefighters, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. No injuries or damaged structures have been reported in the fire that’s been dubbed the Aliso Fire, but evacuations are underway in the Top of the World neighborhood in Laguna Beach. By Saturday, about 1,500 Laguna Beach residents were evacuated. CNN’s Amir Vera and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Wildfire fills sky with thick smoke in Durango, Colorado top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The fire, which began on Friday, was just 10 percent contained on Tuesday morning, as about 825 homes remained under evacuation. Officials have expressed concerns the hot weather predicted could further spread the unchecked blaze. The US Forest Service said in an alert: "In the coming days the fire is expected to burn actively. "Firefighters will continue building defensible spaces around homes and structures." The cause of the devastating fire, which devoured 2,400 acres of land in 48 hours, is still unknown and is being investigated. A statement from the La Plata County government said: “Wind and weather conditions on Saturday helped to limit the physical growth of the fire, with 3-5 mph winds and gusts up to 10 mph.” Durango Fire Rescue tweeted earlier that changing winds have pushed the fire onto Highway 550, resulting in closure of the major highway. They are to hold a community meeting this afternoon at 5pm local time (1am BST) to brief residents on the risks facing them and their homes. The US Forest Service said in an alert: "In the coming days the fire is expected to burn actively." The fire, which began on Friday, was just 10 percent contained on Tuesday morning As of Monday, 825 homes have been evacuated by authorities, with another 760 homes under a pre-evacuation notice. The fire gets its name from the dispatch number - every season, each fire is assigned a number by firefighters, and this is 416th call. Most calls making up the 415 before this are just “small smoke checks or abandoned campfires,” tweeted San Juan National Forest officials. As this fire continues to wreak havoc, another even bigger wildfire 250 miles away in New Mexico appears to have begun its retreat. The blaze, which has burned a massive 36,000 acres of land, erupted on Thursday. This map shows the mandatory evacuation area Durango Fire Rescue tweeted earlier that changing winds have pushed the fire onto Highway 550<doc-sep>A blaze in southwest Colorado that is being called the "416 Fire" was discovered 10 miles north of the small city of Durango on Friday morning and had spread to about 2,000 acres by Saturday. The wildfire spread across an estimated 1,973 acres by late morning, according to a tweet and map by La Plata County. It started in the right of way of Highway 550, which remains closed for about 10 miles, and made its way into the San Juan National Forest. The county as of the afternoon used four heavy tankers, two air tankers, four helicopters, 14 engines and seven firefighting crews, to fight the inferno. #416Fire: Estimated acreage 1,973. Resources: 4 heavy tankers, 1 singe engine air tanker, 1 very large air tanker, 3 helicopters, 14 engines, 7 firefighting crews, 4 hotshot crews, & one water tender. U.S. Highway 550 still closed; all evac & pre-evac orders remain in effect pic.twitter.com/gOXIeDFxqb — La Plata County, CO (@LaPlataCountyCO) June 2, 2018 There was no containment of the fire as of Saturday morning. Mandatory evacuation was ordered for about 825 homes from Baker's Bridge at County Road 250, north to Electra Lake Road. A pre-evacuation notice was issued for about 760 residences from north Electra Lake to Meadow View Drive. Evacuees are being directed to Escalante Middle School in Durango, located at 141 Baker Lane. United States Forest Service spokesman Jim Mackensen told The Durango Herald that winds on Saturday were lower than the previous day, but that fuel levels continued to pose a threat. "It's likely we can loft embers at quite a distance," Mackensen said. "It's going to depend on what the winds do with it." USPS Colorado reported that the fire was impacting about 540 home deliveries along Highway 550 and that mails was being held at post offices. 🔥#416fire🔥update The fire was mapped by flight this morning and is measuring 1973 acres. Additional resources arrived today 1 shot crew, 2 Initial attack crews, 2 Type 1 engines, 2 Type 6 engines & 1 water tender bringing the total personnel to just over 200. @LaPlataCountyCO pic.twitter.com/Mn1hJJOPjb — SanJuanNF (@SanJuanNF) June 2, 2018 The county declared a state of local disaster on Friday evening. Anyone wishing to help fire evacuees can donate money to the Community Emergency Relief Fund by the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado, at 970-375-5807. The Discover Goodwill of Durango at 1230 Escalante Drive is accepting clothing and household donations.<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.