A Colorado prison was evacuated as one of the largest wildfires in state history continued to grow, and officials warned residents of remote areas to be ready to leave Sunday as gusty winds and low humidity fed the flames.
Evacuation orders were already in place for mountain communities as the Lee Fire charred more than 433 square kilometers (167 square miles) across Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, with just 6 percent containment. No injuries or structural damage has been reported.
All 179 incarcerated people were safely removed from the Rifle Correctional Center on Saturday "out of an abundance of caution", the Colorado Department of Corrections said in a statement.
They were temporarily relocated about 240 kilometres (150 miles) away to the Buena Vista Correctional Complex, the department said.
The Lee Fire, churning through trees and brush about 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of Denver, is now the sixth-largest single fire in the state's history, according to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.
More than a thousand firefighters are battling the blaze, working to keep the flames to the west of Colorado 13 and north of County Road 5, officials said.
Health officials issued air quality warnings related to smoke from the Lee Fire and the 60-square-kilometre (23-square-mile) Elk Fire burning just to the east.
In Southern California, crews reached 62 percent containment on the 20-square-kilometre (8-square-mile) Canyon Fire that forced evacuations and destroyed seven structures after breaking out Thursday near the Los Angeles County and Ventura County line.
Three firefighters have been injured, including a battalion chief who was seriously hurt when his pickup truck rolled over in steep terrain.
The Gifford Fire, California's largest blaze so far this year, has scorched at least 466 square kilometres (180 square miles) of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since erupting on August 1. It was 21 percent contained on Sunday.
