
In Focus
Wildfires scorch drought-stricken West
A fast-moving brush fire destroyed homes in Utah, while more than 3,000 people in Colorado and Wyoming fled multiple wildfires on Wednesday.

Smoke from a wildfire rises from the Medicine Bow National Forest near Woods Landing, Wyoming, on June 13, 2018.
The fire burning in the Medicine Bow National Forest just north of the Colorado state line has destroyed one home and two outbuildings since it was first reported on Sunday.

A wildland firefighter tries to contain the flames at the Buffalo Fire site near Silverthorne, Colorado, on June 13.
An evacuation order was lifted Thursday for nearly 1,400 people who were forced to flee their homes this week by a wildfire in central Colorado.
Fire officials say they've stopped the 90-acre fire that ignited Tuesday. They credited fire breaks — areas cleared of flammable trees and vegetation between forested areas and buildings — for helping restrain the blaze's advance toward homes and condos.
Summit Fire Chief Jeff Berino has said the fire was caused by humans. An investigation continues.

The remnants of a home destroyed by a wildfire in Moab, Utah, on June 13.
A fast-moving brush fire destroyed eight homes in the Utah tourist town of Moab. The blaze in Moab, known for its dramatic red rocks, started in a wooded area Tuesday night and quickly spread to homes over less than a square mile, Police Chief Jim Winder said. Crews were extinguishing embers Wednesday.



Hot spots glow after sunset near the Falls Creek Subdivision as the 416 Fire burns near Durango, Colorado, on June 12.
The blaze about 13 miles north of Durango is in the Four Corners region where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet. The area is currently experiencing exceptional drought conditions.

Sandy Elliott follows her putt while playing a round of golf with Marlene Gebhardt at Dalton Golf and Country Club with the 416 Fire burning behind them near Durango on June 12. The two women, on pre-evacuation at Dalton Ranch, said they had been looking at the fire for days and so they decided to hit the links.


Firefighters monitor flames behind a home during a burnout operation that was performed south of County Road 202 near Durango on June 11.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said the rapid response from emergency crews has helped prevent a repeat of wildfires that devastated the state in 2012 and 2013.



