Thousands forced to evacuate in Colorado as wildfire spreads

The Aspen Acres Fire, one of about 40 wildfires burning across western US, has destroyed homes and forced evacuations.A fast-moving wildfire burning southwest of Denver has forced thousands of people to flee, as strong winds continue to drive flames across southern Colorado.The blaze is one of about 40 large fires currently burning across the western United States.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trial begins for man accused of sparking Palisades Fire in Californialist 2 of 3Mistrial declared in federal arson case related to California wildfireslist 3 of 3Three firefighters killed in US wildfires along Colorado–Utah borderend of listDubbed the Aspen Acres Fire, the conflagration exploded in size, growing by 44 square kilometres (17 square miles) overnight to reach a total of 272sq kilometres (105sq miles) by Friday.More than 160 structures have been destroyed in the fire. Experts say that months of dry weather and record-low snowfall in parts of the region – exacerbated by Climate Change – have created dangerous wildfire conditions.Authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 2,200 people in Colorado-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="158409" data-entity-type="location">Colorado City, along with residents of the nearby communities of Beulah, Rye and San Isabel.Smoke from the fire has also disrupted travel, with Colorado emergency officials warning that visibility in parts along Interstate 25 has dropped to as little as a half a mile – or 0.8 kilometres.As the fire continues to spread, about 50 Colorado-national-guard" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="158413" data-entity-type="organization">Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir, where crews were scooping water to battle the blaze.Investigators have said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they have not yet released any other details.The Aspen Acres Fire is only one of the blazes currently ravaging Colorado and its neighbouring states.Firefighters, for instance, have contained only about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire on the western side of the Rocky Mountains, along the border between Colorado and Utah.