Colorado Sky Turns Crimson as Wildfires Rage

Skies turned crimson in the early afternoon as the East Troublesome fire and the Cameron Peak fire neared Estes Park on October 22. Diana Van Der Ploeg recorded this footage and originally posted it to https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1527254757664783 Facebook . Ploeg told Storyful the footage was taken around 2.20 in the afternoon as the town of Estes Park was being evacuated. She said there was a "spot fire that started near the town and in Rocky Mountain National Park due to the East Troublesome fire." Colorado' raging East Troublesome fire became the second largest wildfire in the state' history, growing to more than 170,163 acres, or 266 square miles, by Friday, October 23. Officials https://twitter.com/RockyNPS/status/1319296353403453447 warned of the possible merging of the fire with the Cameron Peak fire, which had been described as the largest in Colorado' history. The Larimer County Sheriff's office https://manager.everbridge.net/pub/564878393781333 ordered mandatory evacuations on October 22 for much of Estes Park. The advisory stated, "Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for residents and business occupants in the area due to immediate and imminent danger. Evacuate the area immediately and as quickly as possible." An advisory on October 23 encouraged those in Estes Park with voluntary evacuation orders to leave. "With limited ingress/egress to Estes, we need to ensure emergency personnel can quickly respond to evolving conditions," the advisory said. (Footage By Diana Van Der Ploeg/Storyful via Getty Images)