DENVER, June 10 (UPI) -- A fast-moving wildfire southwest of Denver split into what one fire official called "a two-headed monster" Monday, doubling in size to more than 60,000 acres and forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 homes.
As many as nine fires burned across Colorado, but the Hayman Fire, which broke out Saturday near Deckers, was getting the most attention because it was out of control and burning in the direction of metropolitan Denver.
"It's split now so it's a two-headed monster," said Terry McCann, a fire information officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
He said the blaze was 15 miles from the nearest urban area.
The Hayman fire, which started from an illegal campfire Saturday, was burning at the rate of 500 acres an hour with no sign of letting up, even at night, which is unusual for wildfires. Firefighters were pulled off because it was too dangerous.
At a news conference, Gov. Bill Owens read a statement from the state forest service predicting the blaze would expand to 100,000 acres by nightfall.
"There's nothing that can be done to stop this fire under current weather and fuel conditions," he said.
Owens urged those in the path of the fire to evacuate and not attempt to defend their property.
"This fire is a very aggressive fire," he said. "It's still expanding dramatically."
Owens also said he was banning open burning across the state along with the sale and use of fireworks until further notice.
"It's clear to me that in the current condition we're seeing in Colorado there's simply no excuse for the use of fireworks, no excuse for open burning," he said.
McCann said 1,400 to 1,500 homes have been evacuated since the Hayman Fire broke out in the Pike-San Isabel National Forest, which has since been closed to the public.
Winds in excess of 30 mph, humidity levels of 5 percent to 10 percent, and temperatures in the 90s were forecast for Colorado Monday. The fire season started early this year in the state because of the worst drought in more than 50 years.
The Hayman Fire made a major run Sunday, covering more than 19 miles, said Lynn Young, a spokesman at the Rocky Mountain Fire Coordinator Center.
"It was crowning in the treetops," he said. "There's not much you can do. We couldn't get any aircraft up either. All we can do is get people out of the way."
Young estimated that 5,000 homes have been evacuated across Colorado because of the current outbreak of fires. Most of the evacuations were near Deckers and at Glenwood Springs on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains.
The Coal Seam Fire, which was ignited by a smoldering, underground coal seam, has burned more than 7,000 acres, but did not make new runs Sunday, Young said. About 24 homes were lost in the weekend fire in the Storm King Mountain area.
"All of Colorado is burning today," Owens said Sunday during a news conference at the county courthouse in Glenwood Springs.
Storm King Mountain was the scene of a deadly wildfire in 1994 that killed 14 firefighters when they were trapped by the unpredictable flames.
California Gov. Gray Davis announced Monday the deployment of two California strike teams and three additional personnel to Colorado to assist with fire suppression efforts at the Coal Seam Fire.
"The dry weather conditions that have plagued the western United States over past few years have made all of us vulnerable to wildfire," Davis said. "As we enter the summer and fall, many of us may face challenges that require us to call on each other for assistance. It is critical that we provide assistance, as well as our thoughts and prayers, to our neighbors whenever possible."
Fire activity remained high in Colorado and northern California Monday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Eleven new large fires were reported, including four in northern California, three in the Rocky Mountain area, and two in southern California.
Very high to extreme fire conditions are reported in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.
