DENVER – The Latest on the wildfires burning in the West: (all times local):
7:10 p.m.
Investigators say a wildfire that scorched an area of Colorado known for its ski resorts, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,300 homes, was likely human-caused.
Summit Fire Chief Jeff Berino said Wednesday night that lightning has been ruled out as a cause of the Buffalo Fire, which erupted Tuesday near the central Colorado town of Silverthorne. The fire only burned about 100 acres (40.5 hectares) but came dangerously close to two densely populated housing developments.
Berino says "some type of human element is probably likely" as a cause, although he asked residents not to speculate. An investigation is expected to take weeks to complete.
The closest ski resort to the fire, Keystone, is about 8 miles (12.8 kilometers) away and across a large reservoir.
Meanwhile, a fire in southern Wyoming that burned 8.2 square miles (21 square kilometers) has destroyed some structures. Investigators have not said how many or what type of structures burned.
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10:55 a.m.
A wildfire burning in southern Wyoming has doubled in size in the last 24 hours and has now burned 8.2 square miles (21 square kilometers).
U.S. Forest Service spokesman Aaron Voos says additional growth was expected Wednesday because of continued hot, dry and windy conditions.
Voos says 393 homes in the area have been evacuated since the fire in the Medicine Bow National Forest was first reported on Sunday.
Sections of state highways 230 and 10 have been closed from the Woods Landing community to the Colorado state line.
About 200 firefighters are on the scene, with more on the way. They are being supported by several helicopters and one air tanker. No structures have been lost.
More than 3,000 people in Colorado and Wyoming remain under evacuation orders because of ongoing wildfires
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9:54 a.m.
Authorities say a fast-moving brush fire has destroyed eight homes in the southern Utah tourist town of Moab and that more than 3,000 people in Colorado and Wyoming remain under evacuation orders because of other wildfires.
Moab city officials say in a statement that the fire started Tuesday night in a wooded area near an apartment complex and has been contained.
A fire reported Tuesday in a part of Colorado known for its ski resorts has forced the evacuation of more than 1,300 homes.
In Wyoming near the border with Colorado, about 400 homes have been evacuated because of another fire.
And in southwestern Colorado, residents of about 180 homes were allowed back home because a fire there is no longer considered a threat to the homes.
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