Wildfires fueled by hot, windy weather and extremely dry conditions have ravaged more than 125,000 acres across Colorado’s mountains in the past week, according to federal wildfire officials.

There are more than 1,700 personnel battling five major wildfires across the state. Combined, those five wildfires have burned just shy of 200 square miles, an area larger than the city and county of Denver.

Since the last weekend in June, wildfires in Colorado have killed three firefighters, destroyed dozens of homes and forced multiple communities to evacuate. With the extreme fire risk in the mountains, communities have instituted Stage 2 fire restrictions banning campfires and fireworks ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.

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“Red flag” warnings advising of heightened fire risk due to gusty winds and hot, dry weather remained in place across much of the Western Slope on Thursday. While winds are expected to die down somewhat ahead of the weekend, there is little — if any — precipitation in the forecast for the mountain region and temperatures are expected to be above-average, according to the National Weather Service.

A record-breaking hot and dry winter has left Colorado’s mountains parched and ready to burn, according to wildfire officials. The National Interagency Coordination Center’s Predictive Service Unit has issued a “fuels and fire behavior” advisory for the Western Slope and Front Range, warning that prolonged heat and wind have rapidly dried out grasses, trees and other fuels, helping to drive “extreme fire behavior.”

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“Even routine activities can spark new ignitions,” the advisory states. “Extreme caution is critical as fire danger escalates.”

Drivers over the Fourth of July holiday are being urged to take precautions, like double checking that no chains are dragging and making sure not to park vehicles on dry grass, where the hot undercarriage could spark a fire.

Smoke, mostly from the wildfires in Colorado, is expected to continue to waft through the mountains through the holiday weekend. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality health advisory on Thursday, warning of smoke impacts for more than 20 counties, including Moffat, Routt, Jackson, Grand, Rio Blanco, Garfield, Eagle, Summit, Pitkin, Lake and Park.

Wildfires have also continued to pop up across the West this week. There were 250 new wildfires reported nationwide on Wednesday alone. The National Interagency Fire Center has set its preparedness level to 4 of 5, higher than the average of 3 for the month of July. That means national firefighting resources are “heavily committed.” There are more than 9,000 personnel battling fires nationwide.

Here’s a look at the major wildfires burning in Colorado:

Aspen Acres Fire is nation’s top priority

Philip Daniels, the deputy chief of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, said during a news briefing on Wednesday afternoon that the Aspen Acres Fire burning in Custer and Pueblo counties is the “No. 1” priority fire in the country.

After it was first reported on Monday, the fire had exploded to nearly 48,000 acres as of Thursday morning, destroying more than 125 homes and forcing evacuations, according to wildfire officials. Even more resources were reportedly en route to the fire on Thursday as about 320 personnel battled the blaze, focusing on protecting lives, property and critical infrastructure.

“When we ask for it, we get it,” Daniels said of federal firefighting resources. “But we can’t bend the laws of physics. Sometimes things have to come from a long way away. … This has become a national fight.”

A Complex Incident Management Team out of Alaska assumed command of the Aspen Acres Fire on Wednesday morning, according to a daily update. Throughout the day, “very large air tankers” dropped fire retardant on the blaze, aiming to “slow the fire’s advance” and protect homes and infrastructure near Beulah Valley, Rye, Colorado City, Lake Isabel and Red Creek, the update states. 

As red-flag conditions drive extreme fire behavior, handcrews also reportedly worked to construct a fireline “where conditions allowed.” But the fire remained uncontained as of Thursday morning.

While the cause of the Aspen Acres Fire remains under investigation, wildfire officials have determined it to be human-caused.

Willow Fire threatening Leadville, cancels Fourth of July festivities

Six miles outside of Leadville, the Willow Fire had burned more than 2,200 acres as of Thursday morning, about five days since it was first discovered burning near Turquoise Lake, according to wildfire officials.

The wildfire — which remains uncontained — has forced evacuations near Turquoise Lake and led to neighborhoods in Leadville being placed on pre-evacuation notice. It has also closed trails in the area and led the town to cancel its Fourth of July festivities.

William Dudley, the operations manager for the Willow Fire, said in a Thursday morning update that fire crews are working to use trails, including a section of the Continental Divide Trail, to create potential containment lines around the fire.

Several crews on Thursday were also assigned to assess structures and neighborhoods around the periphery of the wildfire to “identify what prep needs to be done to make them the most defensible in the coming days,” Dudley said. Air assets, including three helicopters, are also working to slow the fire and protect powerlines, he added.

Lake County Sheriff Heath Speckman said in a video update on Thursday morning that there have been no reports of injuries from the wildfire, the fish from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Leadville National Fish Hatchery have been evacuated and the community should stay alert for any changes to evacuation and pre-evacuation alerts.

“I wanted to give a huge shoutout to our community. I see a lot of efforts and am hearing of a lot of efforts of people helping each other and wanted to say thank you for that,” Speckman said. “I ask today that we keep doing that and also help our neighbors out.”

The cause of the fire remains undetermined.

Gold Mountain Fire

The Gold Mountain Fire in Ouray County had burned 18,000 acres and remained uncontained as of Thursday morning, roughly six days after crews first responded to the fire, according to a daily update.

Red-flag warnings have continued to drive “very active fire behavior” this week, prompting officials to issue mandatory evacuations and pre-evacuation notices, the update states. “Very high” to “extreme” fire behavior was expected again on Thursday amid continued high winds and hot, dry weather.

Jeramy Dietz, the operations section chief for the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 on scene, said in a briefing on Thursday that much of the focus in recent days has been on protecting homes and infrastructure along U.S. Highway 550.

Crews on Thursday were working on structure triage along the highway, while others scouted the terrain around the edges of the fire for the best locations to set up containment lines, Dietz said.

“This country is very rugged and we want our folks to be safe; we want the public to be safe,” he said. “So, we’re spending our time to try to figure out where we can get a good spot for our folks to be safe as we’re working on firefighting.”

Firefighters gain containment on Snyder Fire that killed 3

Along the Colorado-Utah border, the Snyder Fire had burned about 30,200 acres, mostly in Mesa County, as of Thursday morning. Despite “critical fire conditions,” wildfire officials said in an update that the fire has seen minimal growth in recent days.

Firefighters have been able to contain about 49% of the fire’s perimeter, including around its northwest edge along the part of the Colorado River and its southeast corner near the border.

On June 27, fast-moving flames from the Knowles and Gore fires — which have since merged with the Snyder Fire — overtook five firefighters, killing three and injuring the other two, according to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday lifted pre-evacuation orders that were in place for the fire, which is burning in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness. 

The fire has also closed the Colorado River to recreation downstream of Fruita.

Ferris Fire

The Ferris Fire burning northwest of McPhee Reservoir in Dolores County had burned more than 27,300 acres and remained uncontained as of Thursday morning, according to a daily update.

Thursday marked the sixth straight day of red flag conditions in the area as firefighters attempt to get a handle on the fire, which has led to evacuation orders for multiple homes and private lands.

The 282 personnel and four helicopters on scene are focused on protecting homes and infrastructure.