High winds are making it tough to fight a fast-growing wildfire near Glenwood Springs. It has already forced the evacuation of 2,000 people in west and north Glenwood Springs and in the city of No Name.

The fire has also shut down Interstate 70 between Wolcott and Rifle on Saturday and part of Sunday. Both directions of I-70 were opened in the afternoon but there is still no access to West Glenwood Springs, 7NEWS reported.

The blaze has been dubbed the "Coal Seam" fire because it was ignited by underground coal that had been burning for 100 years.

So far the blaze has consumed about 7,500 acres and is at zero percent containment, according to Garfield County officials.

Luckily, no injuries have been reported.

It has damaged at least 40 structures. Among the losses, sheriff's officials say about 15 trailer homes have been destroyed and about 20 others have been damaged. Most of this occurred in the Mitchell Creek area of West Glenwood Springs, Sheriff Tom Dalessandri said.

At least 500 homes and 100 commercial structures remain threatened.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has declared Coal Seam a fire emergency and has agreed to pay 75 percent of the firefighting costs.

The Colorado National Guard has deployed 100 soldiers to control access and security. Gov. Bill Owens visited the scene in the afternoon and said, "All of Colorado is burning today. It is a very, very serious situation."

Gusting winds and hot temperatures are making conditions more dangerous for firefighters.

Unfortunately, winds will continue to gust 45 mph just as they did on Saturday, and relative humidy will be low, and temperatures peaking in the 90s, said 7NEWS Meteorologist Pam Daale.

Glenwood Springs is a town of about 7,700 people and located about 125 miles west of Denver. It is a popular destination spot for tourists and campers because of its hot springs and the Fairy Caves.

The fire started at 1 p.m. in the South Canyon area, south of I-70. At about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the fire jumped the interstate and the Colorado River.

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The smoke was so thick that some drivers had their headlights on in the middle of the hot afternoon.

A Red Cross shelter was set up at Colorado Mountain College Spring Valley and there are about 1,000 people already there Saturday night, said Matt Bertram of the Red Cross.

A Type I firefighting team took command of the fire Sunday afternoon.

The fire is in the location of the 1994 Storm King fire, which killed 14 smoke-jumping firefighters and became notorious for being one of the country's deadliest wildfires.

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June 8, 2002 :Glenwood Springs Fire Gets Out Of Control