Colorado wildfire claims life as California blaze grows

The Boulder County Sheriff, Curtis Johnson, reported the fatality but withheld details on the victim’s identity.

The fire has led to the evacuation of approximately 2,000 residents from the town of Lyons and surrounding areas.

Governor Jared Polis has mobilized the Colorado National Guard to aid in recovery efforts. Dry conditions and high temperatures have exacerbated the fire’s spread, which is part of a larger series of fires affecting Colorado’s Front Range.

Among the other fires in Colorado, the Alexander Mountain Fire stands out as the largest, having scorched over 7,000 acres since Monday and remains only 1% contained.

The widespread fires have prompted significant evacuations and put a strain on local resources.

In California, the Park Fire has become the largest wildfire in the country. As of Thursday morning, it has burned more than 600 square miles (1,550 square kilometers), an area larger than Los Angeles.

The Park Fire is now the fifth largest fire in California’s history and is on track to potentially become the fourth largest.

Nearly 6,000 firefighters are working to contain the blaze in the Central Valley, about 90 miles north of Sacramento. The fire has destroyed 437 structures and damaged 42 others.

The man charged with igniting the Park Fire by allegedly pushing a flaming car down a gully last week has been formally charged with arson, with further charges pending.

Despite a recent reprieve from cooler temperatures, forecasts predict a return to high temperatures, potentially reaching 104°F over the weekend.

This shift in weather conditions is expected to intensify the fire, making containment efforts more challenging.

The National Interagency Fire Center reports that over 29,000 firefighters and support personnel are engaged in battling 93 large wildfires across the country, covering more than 2 million acres.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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