MEEKER, Colo. (AP) — A prison in Colorado was evacuated as one of the state’s largest wildfires continued to expand, with officials advising residents of isolated areas to be prepared for evacuation Sunday, driven by strong winds and low humidity.
Evacuation orders were already active for mountain towns as the Lee Fire scorched over 167 square miles (433 square kilometers) in Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, with only 6% containment. No injuries or damage to structures have been reported.
The Colorado Department of Corrections announced that all 179 inmates were safely removed from the Rifle Correctional Center on Saturday “out of an abundance of caution.” They were temporarily moved about 150 miles (240 kilometers) to the Buena Vista Correctional Complex, as noted by the department.
The Lee Fire, burning through trees and brush approximately 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Denver, is now the sixth-largest individual fire in the state’s history, based on information from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.
Over a thousand firefighters are engaged in combatting the blaze, striving to maintain the flames west of Colorado 13 and north of County Road 5, according to officials.
Health authorities have issued air quality warnings due to smoke from the Lee Fire and the nearby Elk Fire, which has burned around 23 square miles (60 square kilometers).
In Southern California, crews reached 62% containment on the 8-square-mile (20-square-kilometer) Canyon Fire that forced evacuations and destroyed seven structures after breaking out Thursday near the Los Angeles County and Ventura County line. Three firefighters have been injured, including a battalion chief who was seriously hurt when his pickup truck rolled over in steep terrain.
The Gifford Fire, California’s largest blaze so far this year, has scorched at least 180 square miles (466 square kilometers) of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since erupting on Aug. 1. It was 21% contained on Sunday.
