FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A wind-driven wildfire scorched its way through Lory State Park west of Fort Collins on Friday, threatening hundreds of homes south of its path as flames flared above Horsetooth Reservoir.

The Galena Fire was estimated at between 750 and 1,000 acres by fire officials, and there were no natural barriers blocking its spread to evacuated homes in the Inlet Bay area. About 50 homes were most directly threatened but not in imminent danger, officials said Friday night.

"The main path that it can take is south ... right into those subdivisions that are located in that area" near the southwest tip of Horsetooth Reservoir, said Poudre Fire Authority spokesman Capt. Patrick Love.

Firefighters say the cause of the fire, which is 5 percent contained, is unknown.

Lory State Park is a long, narrow strip bounded by Horsetooth Reservoir on the east and a ridge to the west, and Love said there's still plenty of vegetation "ripe" to burn on the park's west side, which was singed by last summer's High Park Fire. The fire started at the north end of the park around 11:45 a.m. MDT, and the flames came up to the parking lot of the park's visitor center before racing south.

An evacuation center was established at a local elementary school, with Red Cross personnel assisting evacuees.

West of the fire, the popular Horsetooth Mountain Park was closed in the fire's wake, and hikers were rounded up and trucked out of the park by emergency responders. Firefighters repeatedly requested the assistance of firefighting aircraft, but only obtained the aid of a single, small helicopter.

"A lot of resources ... are not available. They're basically in a winter mode," Love said during an evening briefing. But acknowledging the high winds that drove the fire's spread, Love added: "More air resources may not have made a difference because they may not have been able to stay up."

High winds hampered efforts to control the blaze, but firefighters saved two homes and the park's visitor center.

Temperatures in the low 70s and winds of 9 to 16 mph helped fan the flames. The weather is expected to cool and dampen Saturday, potentially helping what could be an extended battle for firefighters.

Also Friday, Poudre Fire Authority contained another fire in LaPorte. Love said structures were initially threatened by that 2-acre fire, which he said firefighters do not believe is related to the Galena Fire.

Trevor Hughes also reports for the Fort Collins Coloradoan