A wildfire that has forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in south-western Colorado has nearly doubled in size in hot, dry and windy weather.

The fire has burned 26 square miles, up from nearly 14 square miles on Saturday.

Fire spokesman Brian Eady says the change is the result of both natural fire growth and blazes firefighters intentionally set to control the fire’s movement.

Colorado WildfiresThe wildfire burns near Durango, Colorado (AP)

Incident commander Todd Pechota told residents at a community meeting that the situation is “going to get worse before it gets better”.

Residents of about 1,300 homes have been ordered to evacuate, including 220 on Saturday. No homes have been lost.