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Colorado's East Troublesome Fire Grows to More Than 170,000 Acres

Colorado’s raging East Troublesome Fire became the second largest wildfire in the state’s history, growing to more than 170,163 acres, or 266 square miles, by Friday, October 23.

The growing fire prompted mandatory evacuation orders on Thursday. Roads out of Estes Park were reportedly clogged with traffic amid the evacuations.

Officials warned of the possible merging of the fire with the Cameron Peak Fire, which had been described as the largest in Colorado’s history.

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation order for the western part of Rocky Mountain National Park and western parts of Estes Park. Residents were instructed to evacuate as quickly as possible.

Jason Randolph captured this timelapse footage of the East Troublesome Fire on Wednesday, October 21, from Woodland Park, northwest of Colorado Springs. Credit: Jason Randolph via Storyful