Hundreds of homes evacuated in Colorado wildfire as blazes and red-flag warnings break out nationwide

It may be late October, but the U.S. wildfire season has reignited across the country as a wildland blaze threatened homes Tuesday in Colorado and at least 10 wildfires were burning from California to New Jersey, officials said.

More than 700 homes were under evacuation orders near the town of Divide, Colorado, as a wildfire continued to burn out of control Tuesday, according to Colorado fire officials.

The so-called Highland Lake Fire, which started around 4 p.m. on Monday, had grown to 166 acres and remains out of control, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.

Mikesel attributed most of the fire's growth to firefighters setting backfires to keep flames away from homes and roads.

The sheriff said investigators looking into the cause of the fire have been focused on a structure that was destroyed by flames. He said investigators suspect the fire was "human-caused," but it remains unclear if the cause was accidental or criminal.

Mikesel said firefighters on the front lines were being confronted by winds of more than 50 mph and gusts of more than 60 mph.

"That can drive a fire very quickly," Mikesel said.

Mikesel about 150 firefighters were battling the blaze Tuesday.

A local disaster emergency was declared by the Teller County Board of Commissioners. One structure had been destroyed by Monday evening, county officials said in an update.

No injuries have been reported.

"You're going to see everybody throw everything we possibly can at this thing," Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said at a Monday evening news conference.

The sheriff's office was requesting aid from multiple agencies in the region, as they were expecting winds of up to 50 mph on Tuesday, Mikesell said.

The National Weather Service has issued red-flag warnings of dangerous fire conditions in the Divide area.

Mandatory evacuations due to the Highland Lake Fire have been issued for Cedar Mountain North to Golden Bell, Wayward Wind, Snowhill, Aspen Village, Broken Wheel, Alpine View, Beaver Lake Circle, Beaver Lake Place and Star View Trail, the county said.

More homes were expected to be evacuated, Mikesell said.

"We want to get on this fire very quickly and be super aggressive with it," Mikesell said.

Elsewhere in the country, wildfires were also prompting evacuations in Oklahoma, where the Rush Fire had burned 12,000 acres in the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, about 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. The Rush Fire, which started on Thursday, was 48% contained on Monday afternoon, officials said.

Red Flag warnings remained in place in the area of Rush Fire on Tuesday morning.

The NWS also issued a Red Flag warning in Massachusetts, where firefighters continue to battle a 400-acre brush fire near Salem. Fire crews are also battling another brush fire that started Sunday and consumed at least 250 acres near Middleton, Massachusetts.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, at least 11 large active fires across the United States have burned more than 1 million acres. At least 4,000 wildland firefighters were battling the blazes, according to the center.

Wildfires were also burning in Michigan, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon and New Jersey.

The elevated wildfire danger comes amid record-high temperatures across the country. High temperature records were either tied or broken in dozens of cities on Monday, including Oklahoma City; Kansas City, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Witchita Falls, Texas; and Austin, Texas.

Temperatures climbed Monday to near 80 degrees in Minneapolis and Chicago.

The NWS this week also issued a rare red flag warning for New York City, which hasn't had any rain in about a month.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy issued a Draught Watch, advising businesses and residents to conserve water.

A wildfire that erupted last week in the drought-ravaged area near Rockaway Township in Morris County, New Jersey, burned nearly 80 acres, officials said.

On Monday, the NWS in Philadelphia and New York City issued a special weather statement warning of elevated risk for the spread of wildfires.

According to the statement, "Vegetation remains very dry and could potentially become fuel for fires. These conditions will support the spread of any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to control."