Colorado 416 Fire doubles in size; 1,300 homes evacuated

June 10 (UPI) — Colorado’s 416 Fire nearly doubled in size from Saturday night into Sunday morning as more than 1,000 homes in the area were evacuated.

The wildfire grew from 8,691 acres on Saturday morning to 16,766 acres on Sunday with 10 percent containment, Denver’s KMGH reported.

The blaze is burning north of Durango and fire officials said no one has been injured and no structures have been destroyed.

A mandatory evacuation order was issued for 220 residences in the Falls Creek Ranch and High Meadows subdivisions and for residences on the west side of County Road 203 between Trimble Lane and Cometti/Mead Lanes on Saturday, La Plata County Government said.

Since the fire was first reported on June 1, about 1,309 homes have been evacuated.

The Rocky Mountain Incident Management team said another wildfire known as the Burro Fire had burned 493 acres northwest of Durango with 0 percent containment.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality advisory, warning of nhealthy levels of smoke observed throughout large parts of La Plata County on Sunday morning.

The department said the fire was active Sunday and produced a large plume of smoke expected to impact areas northeast and east of the 416 and Burro Fires.

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