East Troublesome Fire grows to 170,000 acres, becoming 2nd largest wildfire in Colorado history

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Fire officials say the East Troublesome Fire in Grand County is now the second-largest wildfire in Colorado history. The blaze grew more than 100,000 acres in the last 24 hours.

Firefighters say the extreme dry and windy conditions have contributed to the unprecedented growth. The beetle-killed lodgepole pine and terrain have also caused the wildfire to spread rapidly.

The cause of the Oct. 14 fire is still under investigation as nearly 300 firefighters work to contain the fire's perimeter. The blaze has not jumped Highway 40 as of Thursday afternoon.

East Troublesome Fire has caused several evacuations through Grand County and has even partially closed national parks nearby.

Fire officials say "there's certainly potential" for East Troublesome to merge with the Cameron Peak Fire, the largest wildfire in Colorado's history. Although both fires are 10 miles apart at the closest points, fire officials say the risk of merging is low at the moment.

Slightly cooler conditions will likely improve humidity levels over the next two days, but winds will keep spreading the fire.

"We're not out of the woods by any means," said incident commander Noel Livingston.

Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin says his office has received reports of at least five people who are unaccounted for by their families.

If you'd like to help those impacted by the wildfires, consider donating at http://ColoradoResponds.org.