DENVER (Reuters) – An 85-square-mile wildfire raging out of control for a week in northern Colorado has destroyed 181 homes, ranking it as the most destructive blaze in state history, fire officials said on Saturday.

The so-called High Park Fire, ignited by lightning in steep mountain terrain 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Fort Collins, and about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Denver, has already been blamed for one death, and the toll of property damage is expected to climb.

“The number of structures lost will be much larger,” said Nick Christensen, spokesman for the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

There are more than 700 dwellings within the overall fire zone, Christensen said, and firefighters have managed to save most of them.

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