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Fire crews battled strong winds and wild flames Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, to save the town of Ordway. At least two people have died as the fast-moving brush fire swept across southeastern Colorado.

Ordway is located in Crowley County, where Governor Bill Ritter has declared a state of emergency.

The fire started on the town's west-side and quickly spread to the east-side, destroying at least 20 homes.

Ordway is home to more than 1,200 residents. Law enforcement evacuated them to nearby Sugar City.

The county coroner has not yet released the identities of the two victims of the fire.  She has also not released the cause of death.

Fire officials said the fire covers at least 8,900 acres. They said it is about 60% contained, but that could change with wind patterns.

Highways in the area are still closed to non-emergency traffic. Evacuation orders remain in place and it is unknown when residents can go home.

Cindy DeBerge called the scene "horrifying." She said the fire came within a quarter mile of her house. In a panic, she sent her daughter off with friends.

"When the fire came that way, they headed to [Lake Henry] for safety because there was apparently no other way to get out," she said.

Dawn Scheck runs an animal shelter for Crowly County, housing about 26 dogs. She said she rescued most of them from her property, but not all of them.

Scheck said, "I know there are some dead animals. I don't know the extent... We're doing what we can."

She said she heard the dogs screaming, but she couldn't save them because the fire was so intense.

"It got a barn, haystack, campers, but mainly it's the dogs. And I want to get in there to see how many I can get into the vet and how many need to be destroyed."

Fourteen agencies responded to the fire. Some traveled as far as 90 miles to help.

Public information officer Chris Sorensen said, "They're coming to the aide of Ordway just as they did in Holly, Las Animas when they had a fire last week. It's just our way of life. We all come together and we work through the situation."

The fire snapped power lines and wiped out hundreds of acres. With wind gusts reaching 40 miles an hour, it quickly surrounded Ordway and took out home after home.

Rumors about the fire spread just as fast. Some locals claim a rancher was burning weeds on his property. However, investigators said the cause is still unknown.

Sorensen said, "I hear rumors of that everyday, so if that's floating around I hear rumors of that at the coffee shop everyday."

With the state of emergency, the governor provided Crowley County $500,000 from the state disaster emergency fund to help with firefighting costs and property damage. He is also looking into federal funds.