Colorado wildfire forces national park closure

Federal officials in Colorado closed the San Juan National Forest for the first time in its 113-year history on Tuesday as a wildfire raging nearby consumed 22,131 acres. This is the first time a national forest has closed in the state since 2002, but parks in Arizona and New Mexico have already closed this year. Drought conditions in the region helped fuel the 416 fire in the southwestern part of the state. Officials aren’t sure how it started. The fire has forced more than 2,000 residents to evacuate their homes, although no houses have burned. The blaze doubled in size on Sunday, spreading over 35 square miles. The Four Corners region, where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet, is suffering some of the worst drought in the West, much of which has experienced some level of drought.