(Reuters) – Residents remaining in Estes Park, in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, were told to evacuate their homes on Saturday as wind gusts fanned the second largest wildfire in state history and the blaze claimed the lives of an elderly couple.
Officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for eastern Estes Park as wind gusts pushed the 188,300-acre (76,200-hectare) East Troublesome Fire east, threatening the town of 6,300 people that serves as a base camp for the popular national park.
“We tried to get ahead of it to get everyone safely out in an orderly fashion,” said Larimer County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Moore, noting the community is served by three highways. “We are expecting a very long day. Fingers crossed and prayers.”
A red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service was in effect for the area as winds of 60 miles per hour (97 kph) and low humidity were expected through Saturday.
Near the town of Grand Lake, some 17 miles (30 km) southwest of Estes Park, the fire killed Lyle and Marilyn Hileman, who were 86- and 84-years-old. The couple, who were married for almost 70 years, chose not to leave their home, local officials said after finding their bodies on Friday.
“Our parents left this world together and on their own terms. They leave a legacy of hard work and determination to overcome – something all of Grand County will need,” the family said in a statement released to local media.
The fire, which started on Oct. 14, was 14% contained as of Saturday. As the flames spread, authorities closed all 415 square miles (668 square km) of Rocky Mountain National Park to visitors, and ordered the evacuation of several mountain communities.
The closure of the park is in addition to more than one million acres of wilderness in Colorado that the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and state authorities have been forced to declare off limits to the public.
Further north, Colorado’s largest wildfire on record, the Cameron Peak Fire, has been burning since mid-August. It has burned more than 207,400 acres and scorched swaths of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. As of Saturday morning, it was 60% contained.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
