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National Forest In Southwest Colorado To Close Because Of Fire Danger

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Over 2,800 square miles of public land in southwestern Colorado will be closed to campers, hikers and bikers because of the fire danger.

PHOTO GALLERY: 416 Fire

Officials plan to bar most entry to the San Juan National Forest starting Tuesday to prevent the possibility of an abandoned campfire or another spark starting another catastrophic wildfire in exceptional drought conditions. Roads through the forest will remain open.

416 fire (credit kyle miller fire photography)
416 fire (credit: Kyle Miller Fire Photography)

Residents of over 2,000 homes have been ordered to evacuate because of a fire that started in the forest north of Durango, which doubled in size to about 25 square miles over the weekend.

The 416 fire in Hermosa, Colorado
DURANGO, CO - JUNE 12: The Dry Fork trail in the San Juan National Forest is one of many trails closed as a result of the 416 fire on June 12, 2018 in Durango, Colorado. The fire, burning 23 miles northwest of Durango, started June 1 and has burned over 22,000 acres. The county enacted Stage 3 fire restrictions and made the unusual move to close the San Juan National Forest as the 416 Fire continues to burn. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The closure will remain in place until enough moisture falls to improve conditions.
Last month, some forest land in Arizona was closed because of the fire danger.Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com's Living With Wildfire section.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile), the deadliest (Storm King) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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