Colorado Wildfire Darkens Midday Skies In Unsettling Images
Evacuees waited in traffic jams under dark midday skies as a fast-growing blaze threatened towns near Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, leaving surroundings bathed in unsettling shades of orange and red.
The fire, called East Troublesome, grew five times in size in a day to more than 170,000 acres on Thursday, making it the second-largest wildfire in state history. Meanwhile, the state’s largest-ever fire, the Cameron Peak Fire, continues to burn, growing to more than 206,000 acres to the northeast. Officials fear the two blazes could combine as windy conditions continue to whip the flames.
Ernie Bjorkman, a Grand Lake town councilman, told Colorado Public Radio he evacuated in a hurry on Wednesday evening.
“It was basically out of a movie. It was a firestorm in downtown Grand Lake. Smoke and embers flying around. It was just a chaotic scene,” Bjorkman said. “We locked the door and said, ‘Hopefully, house, we’ll see you when we get back.’”
The fire forced the closure of the national park, and, as thousands of residents in nearby Grand County and Estes Park evacuated, clogging roads along the evacuation routes. Images show jammed roads under orange skies, wildlife moving through the smoke and the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park ― the inspiration for Stephen King’s bestselling novel “The Shining” ― shrouded by smoke.
See a roundup of images from Estes Park below.
Friend sent me this photo from her home in Estes Park at 2:00pm prior to evacuation. Hoping everyone gets out. Unprecedented rapid growth. #EastTroublesomeFire pic.twitter.com/FSej65R6ln
— Trish Zornio (@trish_zornio) October 23, 2020
Elk crossing highway 34 headed east from Estes Park. Taken 90 minutes to go 1.5 miles. #EastTroublesomeFire pic.twitter.com/BbSCsIjtDd
— Daniel Denning (@danielKdenning) October 22, 2020
PHOTOS: The sky has gone from yellow to orange. There is a long line of cars waiting to leave Estes Park. #EastTroublesomeFire #EstesPark pic.twitter.com/22iWHB4B9b
— Matthew Jonas (@photojmatthew) October 22, 2020
"Devastating wildfires surrounding us has the town of Estes Park inundated with heavy smoke. This was today's sunrise at Lake Estes." - Photographer Alan Shadduck (Alan Shadduck's Images of Estes Park)
What we know: https://t.co/k0ZKUFXKHF pic.twitter.com/ECq22KdOjH— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) October 22, 2020
Mandatory evacuation orders now in place for areas of Estes Park, including downtown. That means me, now in a major traffic jam with all the other folks trying to get out of town. pic.twitter.com/C7Gw0vLlBm
— Michael Elizabeth Sakas (@_msakas) October 22, 2020
Loveland engine driving up to Estes Park on Highway 34 at 2:38pm for the East Troublesome Fire. #EastTroublesomeFire #EstesPark pic.twitter.com/pyzh7GnLL7
— Loveland Fire Rescue Authority (@LovelandFRA) October 22, 2020
Estes Park evacuations have begun. pic.twitter.com/ezGWhOBAqj
— Kevin Beaty (@KevinJBeaty) October 22, 2020
One more of these. This is highway 34 looking east. pic.twitter.com/QqlIHnWwvn
— Kevin Beaty (@KevinJBeaty) October 22, 2020
— Kevin Beaty (@KevinJBeaty) October 22, 2020
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.