Southwestern Colorado Wildfire Prompts Mandatory Evacuations

A fast-growing wildfire in southern Colorado has destroyed structures and forced the evacuation of more than 150 homes, officials said. The fire was reported before dawn Monday some 25 miles southwest of Pueblo, the Custer County Emergency Management Office said. And by Monday evening it had mushroomed to 21 square miles, according to El Paso County sheriff’s spokeswoman Gail Perez. The fire sent up large plumes of smoke, which led to a health advisory for people living as far east as Pueblo.