The Canyon Fire, which began on Thursday afternoon, has blazed through nearly 5,000 acres in less than 24 hours.

Two wildfires caused by lightning strikes were burning out of control in northwest Colorado on Sunday, forcing evacuations that included nearly 200 inmates at a nearby prison. NBC News’ Dana Griffin has more.

S parked by lightning just over a week ago, the Lee fire has scorched more than 106,000 acres in Colorado, becoming one of the state's largest wildfires on record. Newsweek reached out to the Elk and Lee fires public information officer for comment via email on Sunday.

CAL FIRE wrote on X on Friday: "California is under a heat wave, bringing hot, dry, and windy conditions, making wildfires more likely to occur and to spread fast. When temps soar, even a tiny spark can ignite disaster."

The Gifford Fire burning through the rugged backcountry of California's Central Coast is now the state's largest wildfire of the year. It has reached so-called "mega-fire" status and is one of 38 large fires burning across nine states.