SALIDA – More than 800 firefighters continue to work on containment lines for a central Colorado wildfire that has charred nearly 10 square miles of national forest land.
The fire has destroyed a cabin and another structure as its northern edge reached 2 miles south of Salida, forcing the evacuation of about 130 homes.
Unseasonably warm and dry conditions have fueled the fire, caused by lightning in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area on Sept. 8. It had been allowed to burn beetle-killed trees until high winds spread flames northward.
Officials also are monitoring a 1.5-square-mile wildfire on forest land 10 miles south of Rifle.
Lightning started the fire on July 28. It, too, has been allowed to consume dead timber.
