Fires ripe for 'dramatic increase'

Colorado blaze burns several thousand more acres

Hot smoke and fire is seen behind the silhouetted trees on Missionary Ridge in La Plata County, near Durango, Colorado.

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Fueled by hot, dry and windy conditions, the state's largest-ever wildfire burned through several thousand more acres Tuesday as authorities warned conditions were ripe for the fires to spread rapidly.

Fire officials declared a "red flag warning" Tuesday as gusts up to 35 mph forced them to ground helicopters -- leaving the work of trying to control the blaze to firefighters on the ground.

"The men are out there doing direct attacks with the bulldozers and other heavy equipment," said fire spokeswoman Connie Powers. "We do know that the fire activity has been intense."

The fire spread several miles Tuesday, jumping fire lines built Monday and over Colorado Highway 67 as it churned to the southeast through Pike National Forest. The last official acreage count had the so-called Hayman fire charring 113,000 acres, but officials said it had grown by several thousand more acres by midday Tuesday.

"It still has time to grow," fire spokesman Bobby Kitchens said around noon.

CNN NewsPass Video    •  California wildfire breaks fire line  MORE STORIES   •  Wildfire spreads in California; holiday campers safe   •  Experts disagree on forest management   •  Bush unveils 'Healthy Forests' plan  EXTRA INFORMATION   •  Wildfires through history   •  Interactive: The science of a wildfire   •  TIME.com Photo Essay: Colorado wildfires  RESOURCES   •  Related site: National Interagency Fire Center

On the Hayman fire Web page, it warned that the winds and hot weather, coupled with extremely low humidity, "could lead to rapid or dramatic increase in wildfire activity."

The fire has already forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 residents. In Woodland Park, a picturesque mountain town about 50 miles south of Denver, another 6,500 residents were standing by for evacuation orders, although most heeded warnings and left town early.

Woodland Park City Manager Mark Fitzgerald said the fire on Monday was about 10 miles from the city's northern edge. By Tuesday afternoon, the fire was about 4 1/2 miles away.

"It is absolutely moving in," he said. "We still are on standby, but the fire has gained speed and certainly gained territory."

Fitzgerald said the visibility in town was still pretty good, but "a wall of black smoke" could be seen rising "several thousand feet high" in the air on the north side of town. "We're pulling all the fire resources we can to the area," he said.

He estimated about half the residents had already left, with many taking shelter in homes of relatives and friends homes in nearby areas. Others have sought shelter at Red Cross facilities in Colorado Springs.

The Hayman fire has destroyed at least 25 homes while it has burned through four counties -- Teller, Park, Douglas and Jefferson. It has cost the state an estimated $11.4 million.

A U.S. Forest Service employee has been charged with starting the blaze. Prosecutors say the fire began when she burned a letter written by her estranged husband.

Officials also were battling another major fire in southwestern Colorado, known as the Missionary Ridge blaze, burning about 15 miles north of Durango. The fire is threatening two reservoirs that provide water for surrounding communities, said Cindy Salwerowicz, a fire information officer for the multi-agency information center in Denver.

Both the Vallecito and Lemon reservoirs are northeast of Durango in the San Juan National Forest.

The 38,000-acre blaze, which was 25 percent contained, was confined mostly to forest land, but Salwerowicz said it had forced the evacuation of 2,500 residents from 17 subdivisions. Dry timber was providing plentiful fuel for the blaze, which was being fought by more than 800 firefighters.

"This area hasn't burned in over 100 years," Salwerowicz said.

Boosting the flames were gusty winds above 20 mph, temperatures over 80 degrees and humidity around 5 percent.