Colorado officials said on Tuesday that two people were found dead, killed by a wildfire raging in the foothills near Denver.
Authorities issued a warning to 6,500 homes in Jefferson County as 4,500 acres have been burned in the Lower North Fork Fire, according to the county sheriff’s office. The homes are located north of a pre-existing evacuation area that was issued earlier.
The two people who were found dead were within the perimeter of the fire, reported The Denver Post. Local officials are also looking for a third person who was reported missing and declined to give more information about the victims or where they were found.
On its Twitter feed, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said that two National Guard helicopters were en route to the fire “to start dropping water.” It also said a heavy Lockheed P-2 Neptune aircraft was deployed to drop fire retardant on the blaze.