Cameron Peak Fire

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.

Officials are tracking the explosive growth of the East Troublesome Fire on both sides of the Continental Divide and into the “crown jewel” of Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park. As flames burned on its eastern side, near the town of Estes Park, the western side was the main area of focus. The fire exploded to 188,000 acres as of Friday afternoon, making it the second-largest wildfire in state history.

Gov. Jared Polis traveled around the state on Friday to get a firsthand look at the efforts that are underway to contain several record-breaking wildfires. Capitol Coverage reporter Scott Franz spoke to Polis over the phone after he left a meeting this morning with evacuees of the East Troublesome Fire in Grand County.

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.

For many communities in the West, the water that flows out of kitchen faucets and bathroom showerheads starts high up in the mountains, as snowpack tucked under canopies of spruce and pine trees. This summer’s record-breaking wildfires have reduced some of those headwater forests to burnt trees and heaps of ash.

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.

As Colorado's largest wildfire ever recorded continues to burn, hundreds of residents have fled to local hotels to seek shelter and wait to return home.

The Bellvue Post Office in Larimer County usually delivers mail to around 1,200 people. For the past several weeks, it's also been handling mail for hundreds of evacuees who are displaced due to the Cameron Peak Fire.