A Colorado prison was evacuated as one of the largest wildfires in state history continued to grow, and officials warned residents of remote areas to be ready to leave on Sunday as gusty winds and low humidity fed the flames.
Evacuation orders were already in place for mountain communities as the Lee fire charred more than 167 sq miles (433 sq km) across Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, with just 6% containment. No injuries or structural damage has been reported.
All 179 incarcerated people were safely removed from the Rifle Correctional Center on Saturday “out of an abundance of caution”, the Colorado department of corrections said in a statement. They were temporarily relocated about 150 miles (240km) away to the Buena Vista correctional complex, the department said.
The Lee fire, churning through trees and brush about 250 miles (400km) west of Denver, is now the sixth-largest single fire in the state’s history, according to the Colorado division of fire prevention and control.
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