The largest wildfire ever to happen in Colarado has swept across 87,000 acres near Denver City, stretching for 15 miles along the foothills of the Rockies and prompting mass evacuations.
Fire fighters have warned the fire might threaten the city of Denver, prompting many to flee their homes.
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The wildfire continues to burn through dry mountain timber southwest of Denver Photograph: Reuters
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Colorado officials have issued a plea for 800 more firefighters to join 500 battling the fire. The fire is threatening the outskirts of Denver City and 6,000 people have already been evacuated.
It is thought the fire was started by an illegal campfire on Saturday in the Pike National Forest, 55 miles south-west of Denver. Campfires have been banned in national forests and most counties because of severe drought.
Nearly 500 firefighters were defending the city, although they have been pulled off the frontlines of the fire because it was too dangerous.
The fire was one of at least eight burning across Colorado, including a 10,600 acre blaze that destroyed 28 homes near Glenwood Springs, about 150 miles west of Denver.
Earlier yesterday, shifting wind had helped slow the larger fire's march towards Denver and clear a haze that had blanketed the city for three days.
"This is way beyond anything we have seen in the last 30 years or so," said Mr Bob Sturtevant, education director of the state Forest Service. "It is a combination of the drought and the buildup of fuels we have in the forest right now."
AP