Fire crews are hoping lower temperatures Monday will help them get grass fires in Boulder County under control.
Authorities believe lightning is to blame for two fires that broke out at the Heil Valley Ranch, which is an open space park just south of Lyons.
Almost 100 firefighters were called in to assist the 40-acre burn. The smoke could be seen for miles and on Highway 36. Luckily no homes were in danger, but one family was pretty nervous. Their 100-year-old ranch backs up to the fire's edge.
"It's moving south along the ridge, eating trees pretty fast. There is a lot of dry grass back up there because they don't allow cattle grazing, so it gets higher on the open space," said rancher Mike Loukonen.
The fire is 42 percent contained.
Another wildfire, burning west of Drake, is another high priority for firefighters. The Drake Fire started around 11 a.m. Sunday. It's burning on about 10 acres of remote land in the Roosevelt National Forest but it's just a few miles from the town of Drake in Larimer County. Slurry bombers were used to try to slow the spread of the fire Sunday afternoon.
So far no buildings have been damaged and no one has been hurt. People living along Waltonia Road are on standby to evacuate if the fire changes direction.
Fires In Southwestern Colorado
And in Montezuma County in southwestern Colorado, the Trail East Fire in has charred more than 2,800 acres on federal land near Mesa Verde National Park. At last look, it was threatening nine homes, a commercial building and six outbuildings or other structures.
The blaze, which started Thursday, was believed to have been caused by lightning. Firefighters say that blaze is now 20 percent contained.
More than 330 firefighters and four helicopters were on the lines.
Fire information officer Jen Chase said the weather improved Monday, with no storms or erratic winds in the forecast.
"We're not anticipating thunderstorms to be passing through today or the next few days," she said.
A 250-acre fire was burning near Norwood, also in southwestern Colorado. Three homes were threatened by the fire, which was started by lightning on Friday.
More than 80 firefighters and a helicopter were on the lines.
Four other Colorado blazes totaling about 2,800 acres were considered "ecological restoration" fires benefiting the environment. Two fires had one firefighter each monitoring the flames; two had at least one helicopter and crews of about 30 each on the lines.
Summit County banned most fireworks and open fires Monday, citing a high danger of wildfires.
There are currently 12 wildfires burning in Colorado. Most of the fires are burning to the west and southwest of Denver. The Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center said the wildfires are burning on at least 17,200 acres in the state.
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