Strong Winds Make Forest Fires In Colorado USA Widespread, Residents Evacuated
JAKARTA - Strong winds cause forest fires in the state of Colorado, United States (US). Therefore, the local authorities will evacuate on a large scale people in the affected area and close the Rocky Mountain National Park.
Launching CNA, Friday, October 23, the flames had spread as far as 23 KM. The fire has engulfed 40,470 hectares of forest.
That made Noel Livingston, the commander who led the fire fighting, prepared for the worst. "We are anticipating another big fire day," Livingston said.
As a result of the fire, the US National Park Service immediately closed access to the Rocky Mountains. Each entrance was closed as the fire spread. The condition was worsened by hot, dry and windy weather.
Mandatory evacuation orders now in place for areas of Estes Park, including downtown. That means me, now in a major traffic jam with all the other folks trying to get out of town. pic.twitter.com/C7Gw0vLlBm
- Michael Elizabeth Sakas (@_msakas) October 22, 2020
Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin then acted quickly to evacuate residents who were near the location of the forest fire. The community on the shores of Lake Grand Lake with a population of about 470 people was also relocated. "Today has been a very challenging day for our community," he said.
As of Tuesday, firefighters helicopters rescued 23 hikers and three dogs from the San Juan National Forest. Colorado forest fires have become one of the most brutal forest and land fires after a long dry period.
Meanwhile, last August, Colorado was hit by a forest fire disaster. At that time, 83,770 hectares of forest were scorched by the rooster, including most of the Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forests.
The disaster adds to the series of fires that occurred in the US. Researchers suspect that forest fires are closely related to ongoing climate change.