Rapidly Growing 416 Fire Forces More Evacuations Near Durango
By Chris Spears
DURANGO, Colo. (CBS4) - A rapidly growing wildfire kept burning on Friday, fueled by strong winds in southwest Colorado's La Plata County. The La Plata County manager has declared a state of local disaster.
The fire had burned more than 1100 acres as of 8 p.m. More than 825 homes had been evacuated with another 750 under pre-evacuation.
The fire had doubled in size by 3 p.m. after winds shifted.
The so-called 416 Fire was burning about 10 miles north of Durango on the west side of Highway 550. It was first reported just after 10 a.m.
Fire behavior has changed and as of 4:40 p.m. Friday, all evacuees need to exit north on Highway 550 instead of south on the highway.
Mandatory evacuations are underway for the Iron Gate Subdivision and pre-evacuations have been ordered for an area on the east side of the highway between County Road 250 and Electra Lake.
Other areas of evacuation include: Electra Lake south to Baker's Bridge, North Electra Lake to Meadow View Drive, including Purgatory, Durango Mountain Resort and Cascade Village under pre-evacuation.
A visible loop from the Colorado built GOES-16 weather satellite showed a large smoke plume from the fire.
An air quality health advisory has been issued for southwest Colorado through Saturday morning, including Durango, Rockwood and Hermosa.
The area where the fire is burning continues to experience exceptional drought.
Crews are fighting the flames from both the ground and the air.
Officials said drones in the air near the fire were disrupting the air attack efforts and urged people to clear the area.
Wildfire Resources
- Visit CBSDenver.com's Living With Wildfire section.
Wildfire Photo Galleries
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Meteorologist Chris Spears travels weekly in the CBS4 Mobile Weather Lab reporting about Colorado's weather and climate. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.
