DURANGO, Colo. (AP) -- Wildfire officials issued a ''red flag'' warning for western Colorado on Tuesday, saying hot weather, gusty winds and dry lightning had raised the danger to its highest level.
The Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center in Lakewood said its warning included the lower elevations along the Western Slope. Fire crews contained nine small blazes in the region Monday.
''Usually we get red flags for high temperatures or winds, but we kind of got everything today,'' center spokesman Larry Helmerick said. ''That's the most dangerous. Normally you don't get everything all together.''
Fires near Durango on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation burned about 10 acres and were threatening some homes before they were contained late Monday, while a 125-acre fire near Pagosa Springs was being allowed to burn on Bureau of Land Management land, Helmerick said.
Crews were able to quickly contain other fires Tuesday near Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs and Craig.
''Most of them have been caused by lightning strikes, but 70 to 80 percent of our fires are normally human caused in the Rocky Mountain area,'' Helmerick said. ''We coming up on the Fourth of July weekend, and we're a little nervous because the weather is getting hot.''
Two other fires also were reported in Wyoming and Nebraska.
The center, which coordinates wildfire fighting efforts across five states, has already dispatched many of its crews and equipment to battle fires outside its district in Utah and Nevada, Helmerick said.
Camp fires will be permitted in some mountain areas during the July 4 weekend but officials are urging campers to use extreme caution.
