CANON CITY, Colo.—Crews contained a 630-acre wildfire Friday near the Royal Gorge Park in southern Colorado that had burned one home and damaged others.
The fire that started Monday also forced the evacuation of several homes and businesses west of Canon City. Rafting on the Arkansas River running through the Royal Gorge and a train catering to tourists were shut down for a while.
Fire managers said cooler weather earlier in the week and an aggressive attack from the air allowed crews to rein in the blaze. Federal officials overseeing the 275-member team fighting the fire turned over management to local agencies Friday evening.
Federal officials said the fire was human-caused and the source is under investigation.
Other fires were causing problems around the state as temperatures shot into the high 90s and the weather stayed dry.
Erratic winds spread a fire in Rocky Mountain National Park northwest of Denver from 12 acres to about 200 acres Friday evening. Planes dropped water and fire retardant on the flames, but ground crews had to back off because of the fire’s unpredictable behavior.
The fire was burning in a heavily forested area in the northeast part of the park, about seven miles from the nearest road.
Planes dropped retardant on the fire, which was seven miles from the nearest road.
In south-central Colorado, a wildfire continued to burn in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and on national forest land. The fire wasn’t threatening any buildings but grew to about 5,400 acres Friday from 5,300 acres.
Another fire burned three outbuildings and forced the closure of U.S. 34 in Grand Lake, 55 miles northwest of Denver.
In Elbert County, officials said a wildfire burned about 90 acres, a haystack, a barn and a vehicle before it was contained Thursday.
