Newsletter Newsletters Events Events Podcasts Videos Africanews
Loader
Advertisement

Colorado wildfire forces thousands to evacuate in western US

The flames have destroyed homes and forced owners to leave
The flames have destroyed homes and forced owners to leave Copyright  AFP
Copyright AFP
By Mark Armstrong with AFP
Published on
Share Comments
Share Close Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copy to clipboard Copied

Thousands of people in the US state of Colorado are fleeing a wildfire that hasn't stopped burning since mid-August.

In the US, thousands of people are being forced to move from their homes as a huge wildfire continues to sweep across parts of Colorado state.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

The Cameron Peak Fire, the largest recorded in the state's history, has burned through almost 90,000 hectares so far, destroying large areas of forest and everything else in its path, including many homes.

Many of the evacuations have been mandatory, others have left voluntarily over fears for their own safety.

The US Forest Service said the blaze, located west of Fort Collins, thrived as gusty winds blew in ahead of a cold front after a prolonged dry period.

Investigators have not determined what caused the fire, which started on August 13.

Snowed temporarily halted the firefighting progress several times but this had little long-term impact on the efforts, said Cass Cairns, a multi-agency spokeswoman for the incident.

The fire season in Colorado usually ends in September, Cairns added. Ski resorts often start opening in October, but this year some will contend with the Cameron Peak Fire.

Experts have said this year's record fires in the western US are linked to climate change.

Go to accessibility shortcuts
Share Comments

Read more

Trump scores a trophy in Texas as he hunts down Republican rivals

Gunman killed after shootout with Secret Service near White House, Trump says

In the race to succeed Trump, Vance and Rubio set for unpopularity contest among Republicans