GATEWAY, Colo. — People have been ordered to evacuate near Gateway in western Colorado due to two wildfires burning in the area. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office said evacuation orders have been given for all private land and areas between mile markers 120 and 124 along Highway 141 near Gateway.

The Coconino County Sheriff's Office helped evacuate people from an area north of Jacob Lake and campers in the Kaibab National Forest nearby.

A wildfire in the northern part of Colorado's Chaffee County destroyed two homes on Thursday and it is threatening dozens of others.

More than a dozen fires are creating heavy smoke, with more lightning and gusty winds expected for parts of the Western Slope Friday.

Aggressive wind gusts on Thursday afternoon caused the rapid expansion of wildfires across Western Colorado. As of Friday morning, many fires are left blazing and releasing smoke into the atmosphere. Much of that smoke is smothering local communities and diminishing the air quality across the region.

A fire burning in Eagle County closed westbound Interstate 70 near Dotsero on Saturday afternoon, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found that wildfires in Colorado and throughout the western United States can dramatically alter the water quality of rivers and streams up to

Three wildfires were likely to blame for the smoky conditions late Thursday and early Friday across Southwest Colorado, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. One of those fires