A mother and daughter who went missing after going for a hike on a difficult trail in San Bernardino County’s San Gorgonio Wilderness have been found “alive and well,” the sheriff’s department announced Friday.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department told KTLA they were uninjured and “walked out on their own.”

Krystal Meyers, 41, and her daughter Alexis Meyers Martinez, 21, were hiking on the Vivian Creek Trail Thursday but didn’t return, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

They were last known to be at the 10,300-foot elevation mark above the High Creek switchbacks at 11 a.m., according to the San Gorgonio Search and Rescue team.

The Vivian Creek Trail is widely considered one of the more strenuous and hazardous routes in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

The U.S. Forest Service says it’s the shortest and steepest route to the summit of Mount San Gorgonio and requires experienced mountaineering skills.

Officials did not provide any further details about the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.

The Aspen Acres Fire, one of about 40 wildfires burning across western US, has destroyed homes and forced evacuations.

A fast-moving wildfire burning southwest of Denver has forced thousands of people to flee, as strong winds continue to drive flames across southern Colorado.

The blaze is one of about 40 large fires currently burning across the western United States.

Dubbed the Aspen Acres Fire, the conflagration exploded in size, growing by 44 square kilometres (17 square miles) overnight to reach a total of 272sq kilometres (105sq miles) by Friday.

More than 160 structures have been destroyed in the fire. Experts say that months of dry weather and record-low snowfall in parts of the region – exacerbated by climate change – have created dangerous wildfire conditions.

Authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 2,200 people in Colorado City, along with residents of the nearby communities of Beulah, Rye and San Isabel.

Smoke from the fire has also disrupted travel, with Colorado emergency officials warning that visibility in parts along Interstate 25 has dropped to as little as a half a mile – or 0.8 kilometres.

As the fire continues to spread, about 50 Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir, where crews were scooping water to battle the blaze.

Investigators have said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they have not yet released any other details.

The Aspen Acres Fire is only one of the blazes currently ravaging Colorado and its neighbouring states.

Firefighters, for instance, have contained only about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire on the western side of the Rocky Mountains, along the border between Colorado and Utah.

In Utah itself, another blaze — the Cottonwood Fire — had grown to more than 380sq kilometres (147sq miles) by Friday, while the Babylon Fire had reached 344sq kilometres (133sq miles).

The latest fires come less than a week after three firefighters were killed, and two others were injured after they were overtaken by flames while battling two fires, part of the Snyder complex.

Wildfire smoke advisories are in effect for parts of Colorado, and concerns about wildfires are also beginning to reshape local Fourth of July celebrations.

Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control said several professional firework displays have already been cancelled because of the extreme fire risk, with many counties now under fire restrictions.

The National Weather Service kept Red Flag Warnings in place across much of the state on Friday, saying that hot, dry conditions, low humidity and gusty winds would continue to create critical fire conditions.

While forecasters said moister weather over the weekend should help lessen the risks, they also warned that heavier rain could increase the possibility of flash flooding in recently burned areas.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KCAL/KCBS/CNN) – A former California State Parks superintendent is accused of secretly filming male employees in the nude while they changed in a locker room.

“It was like getting punched in the stomach,” said California State Parks employee Matthew Dawson.

Dawson is afraid that he was one of the Bolsa Chica lifeguards or other workers allegedly recorded in a men’s locker room in Orange County by his then-boss Kevin Pearsall.

Pearsall, who has retired, was charged by the district attorney last week with eavesdropping, secretly filming and sharing some of the nude images.

“When I was naked changing into uniform in the locker room, I remember Kevin directing me to the back area. I never thought anything of it; it just seemed eccentric and now I feel he was setting me up to undress on camera,” he said.

Attorney Gloria Allred said a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Dawson and three other State Parks employees.

Senior Park Aide Manager Richard Corey said workers were encouraged to change in and out their uniforms in the locker room before and after their shifts.

“What happened with Kevin Pearsall is the ultimate betrayal of trust. He not only was in one of the highest positions of California State Parks, but he was a sworn, post-certified peace officer, a position of trust, and you know he, he swore not only to protect the public but also us, his employees, he failed us,” said Corey.

Pearsall is accused of hiding a USB stick that was also a tiny camera in the locker room for at least a year, recording both audio and video.

An attorney representing another potential victim says 2 million images were recorded.

Pearsall was expected to be in court in August.