Cal-Wood Fire

The Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park will remain closed this weekend, with no expected reopening date in the near future. With warm and dry weather in the forecast, there is still potential for new fires to start and existing ones to grow. The Cameron Peak, Cal-Wood and East Troublesome fires are still burning under the snow, and officials have recorded new smoke and visible flames from within the existing fire perimeters.

Colorado, the U.S. Postal Service and county elections departments offer support services to ensure people can easily cast their ballot in tumultuous emergency situations. And officials say there's no need to stress about it — there’s still plenty of time.

Firefighters are crediting the cold front that moved into Boulder County on Thursday in helping them get the Cal-Wood Fire under better control. The fire is now considered 55% contained. The Lefthand Canyon Fire is considered 100% contained. Firefighters are expected to patrol the fire lines today and make improvements as necessary.

Orange skies, winds gusting up to 70 mph, smoke tornadoes and hazardous air. While it could be an apocalyptic scene out of a movie, it has become the reality of Colorado's wildfire season. The blazes have burned the second-most acreage since 2000 and included the state's three largest on record.

Forecasts show stronger winds in store for the start of the week, which could complicate the responses to several major wildfires burning along the Front Range. At just under 9,000 acres, the Cal-Wood Fire is officially the county’s largest on record. Containment is at 15%. After another day with wind gusts over 60 miles per hour, the Cameron Peak Fire is now 203,253 acres, with 62% containment.