Wildfire threatens Colorado mountain town of 400 residents; chances of saving South Fork slim

SOUTH FORK, Colo. – A massive wildfire is headed toward a Colorado mountain town, and fire managers say the chances of saving it are slim.

The tourist town of South Fork was evacuated Friday morning as the 47-square-mile acre West Fork Fire moved closer. Wildland firefighters were teaming up with local firefighters to try to save the town, which is surrounded by forest.

Fire spokesman Penny Bertram says officials rate the chances of saving the town of about 400 full-time residents as “low to moderate.”

Bertram says the hot, dry and windy weather along with large stands of beetle-killed trees are causing extreme fire behaviour. While most fires actively burn four hours a day, this one is burning for 12.

The fictional Griswold family camped in South Fork in 1983’s “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”

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