Fires force evacuation of Mesa Verde National Park

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, Colo. -- A 2,000-acre wildfire charred the mesa above one of this park's signature cliff dwellings Tuesday and fire workers scrambled to protect scores of archaeological sites.

Officials said none of Mesa Verde's treasures had been damaged, despite the flames close to the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling.

The fire shut down the park in southwestern Colorado on Monday, forcing the evacuation of 2,000 visitors and employees. The park also was without drinking water because the top was burned off a million-gallon tank, contaminating the contents, and the fire had destroyed a sewage treatment plant and two park-owned employee residences.

Elsewhere, two wildfires that have charred almost 100,000 acres of southwestern Oregon threatened to unite Tuesday as they marched toward a string of towns. All 17,000 residents of the Illinois Valley had been urged to prepare for an evacuation.

Wildfires around the nation have burned more than 4 million acres so far this year, double the average, the National Interagency Fire Center reported Tuesday.

Mesa Verde, 240 miles southwest of Denver, has an estimated 25,000 archaeological sites left by the Pueblo Indian civilization that vanished more than 700 years ago. Its cliff dwellings date to the 1200s and pit houses date to the 500s.

Firefighters said their top priority was protecting a research center that holds artifacts and human remains, and park officials said they also were worried about archaeological sites.

The fast-moving blaze was believed to have been started by lightning.

In 2000, wildfires burned trees and brush covering more than a third of the park's 52,000 acres and twice shut down the park. Those fires led to the discovery of an estimated 2,000 previously unknown archaeological sites.

In Oregon, a fleet of bulldozers worked to build a 25-mile-long firebreak as flames came with three miles of communities in the Illinois Valley. Officials feared a 71,000-acre fire will join with another burning on 25,000 acres.

Residents closest to the fire had been told to be ready to leave within 30 minutes, while others were under a 24-hour evacuation notice.

"There is a feeling of anxiety from residents, but a lot of us are saying we're going to wait until it gets closer" before leaving, said Bob Rodriguez, editor of the weekly newspaper The Illinois Valley News. "A lot of people have packed and either have their stuff right next to the door -- suitcases and medicines -- or they've got their stuff in their vehicles and are ready to go."

Fire crews from around Oregon went door to door in the area assessing which homes could be protected if the fire reached them.

One crew told Deborah Zimmerman they had a decent chance of saving her picturesque cabin in the woods, but they also gave her some warnings.

"You're going to have burning things falling out of the sky in a day or two," firefighter Rob Lindstrom told Zimmerman on Monday evening.

------

On the Net:

Mesa Verde National Park: http://www.nps.gov/meve

National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov

Northwest Interagency Coordination Center: http://www.or.blm.gov/nwcc