Colorado wildfire swells to 2,400 acres

Fire's early arrival concerns Western states

BAILEY, Colorado (CNN) -- An early wildfire, fanned by erratic winds and fueled by dry brush, caught officials in central Colorado by surprise as it grew to about 2,400 acres Thursday, Colorado fire officials said.

The fire nearly doubled in size from Wednesday, despite an overnight calming of winds that had reached 30 to 40 mph.

Officials called in "hot shot" wildfire specialists from as far away as Illinois to fight the fire because many such teams in the West are still training and not ready to go to work.

The fire's early arrival has officials in most Western states worried about the coming fire season, which typically starts in late May and lasts through the summer.

"We're out here in April," said Colorado fire official Marc Mullenix. "You can see our breath right now and we're fighting a major fire in a major urban area ... outside of Denver."

Officials moved about 2,000 people from their homes in Bailey, southwest of Denver, Wednesday night when the fire roared into rugged terrain nearby.

Most residents were allowed to return overnight when winds died down. Officials, however, warned residents they may have to leave again if winds pick up again.

About 250 firefighters were on hand Wednesday, officials said, and another 200 were expected to arrive Thursday. Air tankers and helicopters were dropping fire retardant on the blaze, but were hampered by winds.

-- CNN Correspondent Rusty Dornin contributed to this report.