Aspen Acres Fire Destroys Over 160 Structures, Forces Thousands to Evacuate Near Denver

The Aspen Acres fire engulfs a hillside near Beulah (AP)

Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate and more than 160 structures were destroyed as erratic winds drove a fast-moving wildfire southwest of Denver in the United States. Dubbed the Aspen Acres fire, the wildfire is among 40 large blazes burning without containment across the western United States. The fires have been intensified by months of dry weather and an unusually low snowpack this past winter in several areas. By Friday afternoon, the Aspen Acres fire had spread to about 115 square miles (297 square kilometres) and remained 0% contained. Firefighters were using helicopters to scoop water from the Pueblo Reservoir in an effort to slow its advance. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for all of Colorado City, an unincorporated community of around 2,200 residents, as well as the nearby towns of Beulah, Rye and San Isabel, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office. Around 50 National Guard personnel were deployed on Friday to assist with staffing road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties. They will also support State Park Rangers by helping keep boaters away from water-scooping operations at the reservoir. Elsewhere in Colorado, firefighters had contained about 65% of the Snyder Fire along the Colorado-Utah border. The fire claimed the lives of three helitack crew members last weekend after they were overrun by flames, while two others were injured. In neighbouring Utah, the Cottonwood fire in the state's southwest had expanded to about 147 square miles (380 square kilometres) by Friday, while the Babylon fire in the southeast had grown to roughly 133 square miles (344 square kilometres).