A wildfire in the northern part of Colorado's Chaffee County destroyed two homes on Thursday and it is threatening dozens of others. The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office says mandatory evacuations that were ordered soon after fire's ignition remain in place.

The fire was named the Mountain View Fire. It started in the middle of the day and by dusk it had grown to about 60 acres.

It is located north of Buena Vista near Highway 24 in an area known as Mountain View Estates. That's close to Chaffee County's border with Lake County to the north and Park County to the east.

There are approximately 50 homes in the evacuation area and the sheriff's office said 25 of those are in an area firefighters are referring to as the "hot zone."

Firefighters from numerous departments are battling the fire, including from the Chaffee County Fire Protection District and the Salida Fire Department.

The area was under a red flag warning during the day due to low relative humidity and windy conditions. CBS Colorado First Alert Chief Meteorologist said winds across central and southern Colorado were gusting from time to time up to 35 mph. Humidity levels were also from 13% to 17%.

There have been no reports of any injuries so far in the firefight.

A shelter for evacuees was set up at the Buena Vista Safety Complex in Buena Vista at 200 Steele Drive. The Ark Valley Humane Society at 701 Gregg Drive was taking pets that had to be evacuated and large animals were being accepted at the Buena Vista Radio Grounds on County Road 321.

The sheriff's office said the fire was not threatening any grazing livestock.