WETMORE, Colo. (AP) – Searing heat and dry, gusting wind spread a wildfire across 2,400 acres of southern Colorado, forcing the evacuation of 150 homes as flames crawled along mountain ridges west of Pueblo.

The flames had burned to within 100 yards of Greenwood, and fire crews stood guard over the small community Saturday.

“We could see the trees explode,” said Bill Mauger, 73, who watched with his wife as the fire climbed ridgelines. “You could hear crackling and smoke come off the trees. It was like a bomb going off.”

More than 300 firefighters struggled against temperatures in the 90s and erratic winds. By evening, only about five percent of the lightning-sparked blaze had been contained, officials said.

Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center spokeswoman Jen Chase said nearly $765,000 had been spent fighting the blaze since it was discovered Wednesday.

In all, 14 large wildfires were burning across more than 700,000 acres in eight states Saturday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Since January, wildfires have burned slightly more than 3 million acres, similar to the acreage burned by this date last year.

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