The Hewlett Gulch wildfire burning in Poudre Canyon, northwest of Fort Collins, has grown more than five times its size overnight -- expanding from 982 acres on Wednesday to 5,090 acres on Thursday morning. The fire is burning out of control and is expected to get bigger.
According to The Associated Press, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team first reported that the fire had grown at such an alarming rate. 391 firefighters will be battling the blaze on Thursday.
Shifting winds helped spread the fire Wednesday night -- 9News reports that winds were coming out of the West at 10 to 15 mph, with occasional stronger gusts at 25 mph.
Since there are no roads near the fire and the terrain is steep and rough, firefighter access to the blaze has been limited to either foot patrols or fire retardant and water drops via air tanker, Fox31 reports.
Wind and weather impeded air support Wednesday, according to the Coloradoan, driving the blaze's flames to 30 feet high as the fire continued its move northeast toward Greyrock Mountain.
7News reports that there are still no evacuation orders but, several areas have received a pre-evacuation notice and have been warned that evacuation could be coming shortly -- including residents along Highway 14 (between mile marker 110 and 115), residents within a one mile radius of Mount Mahogany and Gordon Creek Lane, and anyone in the Bonner Peak and Bonner Springs subdivisions.
The fire broke out on Monday around 1 p.m. in the Roosevelt National Forest and is believed to have been human-caused, however authorities are still investigating and haven't determined if it was set intentionally.
Check out InciWeb for the latest updates and maps of the fire. Emergency information for residents is available at Larimer County's official website.
WATCH [via 9News]: Hewlett fire grows significantly overnight, above.