More Colorado evacuations ordered

Flames from the Hayman fire continued to rage Monday.

WOODLAND PARK, Colorado (CNN) -- Erratic winds, low humidity and a raging fire that has consumed more than 100,000 acres forced the evacuations of nine subdivisions on the southern edge of the blaze Monday -- and a town of 6,500 people was put on standby for evacuation.

Officials said they had no specific numbers on the amount of people involved in the evacuations of the subdivisions, but dozens of homes were evacuated.

The Hayman fire -- the biggest blaze in state history -- already has forced the evacuations of about 5,500 residents.

The path of the fire moved to the southwest throughout the day.

In Woodland Park, a picturesque mountain town of 6,500 people, officers patrolled the streets in cars announcing over loud speakers that the town had been put on notice for possible evacuation. Other personnel went from house to house on foot to make sure residents got the word.

"We're asking them to be ready, and as the situation develops we'll let them know," said Police Chief Bob Larson.

He said smoke hung over the town "like a haze." Winds gusted at up to 25 mph during the day Monday, but by nightfall it was starting to ease. "It seems like they're slowing. Let's hope," Larson said.

A race against changing weather conditions

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Firefighters raced against changing weather conditions Monday to preserve progress made against the fire that has consumed 102,895 acres southwest of Denver.

Fire officials also expressed concerns about another fire sweeping quickly through an area in the state's southwest, near Durango.

The Hayman fire southwest of Denver remained 47 percent contained, fire officials said, maintaining the level reached Sunday after several days of favorable wind conditions enabled firefighters to create a line ahead of much of the blaze.

Firefighters scrambled to fill in gaps in the line before a forecast pick-up in wind conditions later in the day, increasing from 10 to 15 mph to "gusty and unpredictable," said Sgt. Atilla Denes of the Douglas County Sheriff's office.

"The idea is to fill in those gaps in containment, and there is a sense of urgency since the weather is supposed to change," Denes said. "We are expecting gusty wind conditions that are the same as last Sunday [June 9], when the fire made an 18-mile run."

The weeklong blaze has destroyed 25 homes, one business and 13 other structures, and has placed more than 5,400 residents under a mandatory evacuation order.

An employee of the U.S. Forest Service has been charged with starting the blaze, allegedly by angrily burning a letter from her estranged husband. Terry Barton, 38, had an initial court appearance Monday during which she was read her rights and appointed an attorney. (Full story)

Missionary Ridge fire

In southwestern Colorado, another 1,200 households were being evacuated Monday as a fire that had consumed 26,700 acres jumped lines in three directions, most seriously toward the east and south, in the direction of Durango.

"For the third day in a row we have had a plume type fire vent, which means terribly extreme fire behavior with torching and rushing," said spokeswoman Mary Bell Lunsford.

Lunsford said an even further drop in low humidity was expected to worsen conditions, allowing the fire to "get hotter and hotter, and spill ahead of itself."

Air tanker crashes

Three people were killed when an air tanker fighting a fire in the Toiyabe National Forest in western Nevada crashed Monday afternoon and burst into flames across the state line in Walker, California, police said.

The tanker plummets toward the ground.

A spokeswoman at the Mono County Sheriff's Office said the civilian air tanker crashed in a field in northern Walker, just behind a building. She said the fire was quickly extinguished and no one on the ground was hurt.

The four-engine tanker was one of 10 aircraft battling the 5,000-acre blaze near the state line, about 90 miles south of Reno. Authorities were trying to ascertain what caused the crash.

There are 20 large fires burning in 11 states. Four are in Colorado, three each in California and New Mexico, two each in Arizona and Utah, and one each in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Virginia and Wyoming.

The National Interagency Fire Center reports that while the number of fires this year is substantially lower than average, the acreage burned,1,459,724, is nearly double the 10-year average for this time of year.