It was not known Sunday morning how many people had been evacuated or whether any structures had burned, but the fire was threatening 129 residences, a mix of full-time houses and hunting lodges, said Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center spokesman Larry Helmerick.
He said hot, dry conditions led to extreme fire behavior overnight, and dry thunderstorms and low humidity were forecast Sunday. Officials have not determined the cause of the fire, which was burning in brush and hardwood on a mix of federal and private lands, Helmerick said.
A 40-50-person management team was en route, along with a team of Hot Shots, he said. Already on hand were one team of Hot Shots, helped by 17 engines, one helicopter, three single-engine air tankers and two bulldozers.
Late Saturday, authorities said the blaze was moving to the northeast, away from houses.
It was one of three wildfires on the Western Slope burning this weekend. One blaze of 60 acres and another of 8 acres were burning in Mesa County near Douglas Pass on Bureau of Land Management land. No structures were threatened.
Lightning was believed to have caused the Douglas Pass blazes, Montrose Interagency Dispatch Center spokesman Steven Hall said.
