Dozens of wildfires are raging across the West, burning homes and National Forest land and forcing the evacuation of entire towns.
Low humidity, dry vegetation and high winds are causing new fires to spread and develop rapidly across the Midwest.
The Aspen Acres Fire broke out in southern Colorado on Monday morning, exploding to more than 23,000 acres just hours later and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people in two counties.
Three firefighters were killed Saturday in another wildfire along the Utah-Colorado border that later became the Snyder Fire. They have been identified as Emily Barker, 38, of Clinton Township, Michigan. Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Glendale, Arizona. and Sidney Watson, 27, of Warrior, Alabama. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Two more firefighters were injured in the same incident.
There is no end in sight for the besieged region, as dangerous weather conditions from the fires are expected to continue throughout this week and worsen near the weekend.
Tens of thousands of acres burned in Colorado, evacuations ordered
As of Monday night, there were 16 wildfires burning across Colorado, according to Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
Ring camera captures Colorado’s Aspen Acres fire engulfing family’s property
Ring camera captures Colorado’s Aspen Acres fire engulfing family’s property
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Polis declared a state of disaster emergency for Mesa County on Saturday following the deadly Snyder Fire, which reached more than 30,000 acres Monday night. Polis also authorized the state’s National Guard to assist in response efforts.
Evacuations are in place in Pueblo and Custer counties due to the Aspen Acres Fire, with some entire towns under mandatory evacuation.
Evacuation orders have also been issued for areas surrounding the Willow Fire in Lake County and the Gold Mountain Fire in Ouray County.
Many Colorado counties have banned fireworks ahead of the Fourth of July, but Polis also encourages people to “take personal responsibility” for fireworks and other items that can start a fire.
“We owe it to our frontline firefighters to prevent new fires from starting,” he said at a press conference on Monday.
Last week, severe fire conditions developed in neighboring Utah, prompting the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City to issue its first red flag for “particularly hazardous conditions” for the central and southern parts of the state.
There are currently 12 fires burning across the state covering approximately 300,000 acres.
The Cottonwood Fire in southern Utah had grown to nearly 100,000 acres as of Monday night, an area larger than Salt Lake City. According to InciWeb data, only 4% contain it. Evacuations are still ongoing for the fire, which officials say is likely the most destructive and costly in the state’s history.
Great Basin Team 5 spokeswoman Alyssa Mason told CNN that an estimated 150 structures were lost in the fire. He said the evaluation is ongoing and crews expect to find additional losses.
Before the Cottonwood Fire, the 2018 Dollar Ridge Fire, which destroyed 74 homes, was considered the most destructive fire in Utah history, Carl Hunt, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, told CNN.
The Wild Goose Fire broke out Friday near Holden, Utah, burning more than 10,000 acres and 6% contained, according to Inciweb data.
Further to the southeast, the Manti-La Sal National Forest issued an emergency closure Sunday due to the Babylon Fire. Parts of Canyonlands National Park were also closed. As of Monday, that area was approaching 40,000 acres, according to Inciweb data.
Last week, Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced a statewide ban on Fourth of July fireworks to prevent new wildfires.
The most dangerous fire weather conditions on Tuesday will be over the areas where the worst fires are burning. Winds of 30 to 45 mph and relative humidity in the low single digits are expected across much of western and central Colorado, eastern Utah, northern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico.
The weather forecast for the rest of this week is not very good. There may be a brief respite from the strongest winds on Wednesday, but then wind conditions will worsen again on Thursday and Friday, raising the fire danger to critical levels in parts of the Southwest.
Stronger winds are likely to become more prevalent this weekend and early next week, but the region will remain dry.
CNN’s Amanda Musa, Taylor Romine and Hannah Park contributed to this report.
