Another wildfire erupts in Colorado, possibly from lightning

Another wildfire, the sixth of seven this season in Colorado, has broken out, forcing about 100 people to leave their homes in Jefferson County, about 30 miles from Denver.

The blaze, known as the Lime Gulch fire, is burning near Foxton, Colo., on lands of the Pike National Forest. Approximately 500 acres have burned but no injuries have been reported.

“The good news is, it’s a very sparsely populated area as far as houses go,” Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink told reporters.

He said the fire might have been sparked by lightning earlier this week and then was pushed by high winds Wednesday.

The fire is being fought by tankers and a helicopter, officials said, in an area that is mainly mountainous forests. It is south of last year’s Lower North Fork fire, which destroyed and damaged 23 homes and killed three people.

The Lime Gulch fire is one of seven reported this season in Colorado. In all, more than 25,000 acres have burned in the state this fire season. The largest fire is the Black Forest fire, which is close to full containment.

The Black Forest fire, which began June 11, has already burned through more than 14,000 acres and is considered the worst in the state’s history. Two people have been killed in that fire, about 10 miles from last year’s Waldo Canyon fire, which had been the worst.

The latest figures show that 502 structures were destroyed in the Black Forest fire and 18 more damaged. Several thousand residents were evacuated but some have been allowed to return as areas cool, officials said.

Other major fires in the state include the West Fork Complex, which has burned more than 8,000 acres in the San Juan National Forest.

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