Wildfires Rage Across Colorado and California: One Dead, Thousands Evacuated

A fast-moving wildfire in Colorado's Rocky Mountain foothills has claimed one life and destroyed five homes. In California, firefighters struggle to contain the Park Fire, the state's fifth-largest in history. Thousands of residents have been evacuated, and more than 29,000 firefighters nationwide are fighting multiple blazes.

A fast-moving wildfire killed at least one person in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Colorado, among other blazes burning across the state. Meanwhile, thousands of firefighters in California are struggling to contain the largest fire in the country.

The individual killed in the Stone Canyon Fire, burning about 20 miles north of Boulder, Colorado, was discovered on Wednesday in one of five homes destroyed near Rocky Mountain National Park, officials said. 'We did also today discover human remains in one of the residences,' Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson told the media. 'So, I can confirm for you that we do have one fatality associated with the fire.'

Johnson did not provide details on the individual's identity. The Stone Canyon Fire, near Lyons, a community of about 2,000, has burned more than 1,500 acres since Tuesday afternoon and was 20% contained as of late Wednesday, according to the Boulder Office of Disaster Management. About 2,000 people were evacuated from Lyons and nearby communities.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis called in the Colorado National Guard to assist with the recovery. Dry conditions and high temperatures since Tuesday afternoon have enabled the fire to spread quickly through timberland. The Stone Canyon Fire is one of multiple fires that have ripped through Colorado's Front Range mountains this week, leading to further evacuations.

The Alexander Mountain Fire is the largest, having burned over 7,000 acres since Monday. It was 1% contained Wednesday night, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Nationwide, over 29,000 firefighters and support personnel are battling 93 large wildfires, covering more than 2 million acres, per the National Interagency Fire Center.

In California, the Park Fire has burned more than 600 square miles (1,550 square kilometers) as of Thursday morning, an area larger than the city of Los Angeles, state fire officials said. It is currently the fifth largest fire in the state's history and could soon become the fourth. Nearly 6,000 firefighters are battling the blaze in a wilderness area in the Central Valley, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Sacramento, the capital.

The fire has destroyed 437 houses and other structures and damaged 42 as of Thursday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. The man accused of starting the fire, allegedly by pushing a flaming car down a Butte County gully last week, was formally charged with arson on Monday and faces additional charges, officials said.

Over the past few days, cooler weather has helped firefighters, said Cal Fire spokesman Jeremy Hollingshead. However, temperatures are expected to climb today and could reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend. 'We had an advantage for the last couple days with cooler temperatures, but that has changed,' Hollingshead noted. 'It means the fuels of grass and timber are getting dryer and hotter earlier in the day, making the fire burn hotter and quicker.'

He said access over rugged, wilderness terrain with few roads makes it challenging for firefighters and equipment to reach the fire lines, sometimes taking two to three hours to arrive at the scene.

(With inputs from agencies.)