A wind-whipped fire glows on a hillside above rural Boulder County, Colo., where at least 500 homes were evacuated. Parched grasslands fed the flames about 25 miles north of Denver.

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BOULDER — Wind-driven wildfires swept across Boulder County grasslands Wednesday, destroying at least four structures and prompting mandatory evacuations of at least 500 homes.

Residents were ordered to leave more than 500 homes on the north side of Boulder, county spokeswoman Barbara Halpin said. At least one other neighborhood north of the city was evacuated, but the number of homes wasn't immediately known.

The Red Cross said at least 100 people went to one emergency shelter. Authorities said more than 11,000 homes had been alerted to the fire by reverse-911 calls, but not all of those households were told to leave.

The fires were burning in parched, rolling grasslands dotted with subdivisions, individual homes and horse ranches about 25 miles northwest of Denver.

Authorities said at least three of the destroyed structures were homes, and the fourth might have been a barn.

SNOQUALMIE — Rain and high winds lashed Washington state Wednesday, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures as the heavy snowfall that has buried parts of the state began to rapidly melt.

More than 30,000 people were told to leave their homes in flood-endangered areas across western Washington as authorities warned of heavy flooding.

"This is going to be a memorable flood event," said Andy Haner, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Seattle.

Firetrucks rolled through Orting, about 15 miles southeast of Tacoma, with loudspeakers advising everyone to leave the town and surrounding valley, home to about 26,000 people. Sandbags were placed around many downtown homes and businesses as the Puyallup River neared record levels.

"They expect the town of Orting to go under water," Pierce County sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said, adding that the flooding could be the worst in more than a decade.

Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma declared a civil emergency because of flood risks along the Puyallup.

In Oregon, high winds toppled trees along U.S. 26, forcing the highway's closure and stranding some motorists while crews worked to clear the road. Flood warnings were posted for areas along several rivers, and a flood watch was up for all of northwest Oregon.

SACRAMENTO — A U.S. Postal Service worker has been charged with opening greeting cards to steal cash and other property.

Prosecutors said Dean Hudson, 29, of Marysville, was indicted Wednesday on 19 federal counts of mail theft and delay or destruction of mail by a postal employee.

Public defender Mary French said Hudson will plead not guilty. The indictment alleges he stole $550 from 11 pieces of mail, in addition to opening numerous other envelopes.

Each charge carries a maximum five-year prison term.

POTTSTOWN — A Pennsylvania teenager accused of planning an attack at his high school has admitted to a charge of attempted murder.

A magisterial district judge said prosecutors agreed Wed-nesday to drop all charges except the single count. The case was moved to Juvenile Court, where the 15-year-old admitted to the charge.

Investigators say the teen planned to attack Pottstown High School schoolmates last month with guns stolen from his father. Pottstown is a suburb of Philadelphia.

MARION — An Indiana prosecutor says a former church official is charged with stealing more than $276,000 from church accounts and using some of the money to pay for a vasectomy.

Grant County Prosecutor Jim Luttrull said William Jeremiah Six faces eight counts of theft and one count of fraud.

Court documents say Six is accused of using electronic transfers from church and school accounts to pay his credit cards and medical bills and to buy cars and motorcycles. Court records say the 28-year-old man has repaid the church $25,000.

BUFFALO — The office of Jack Kemp says the former housing secretary, congressman and Buffalo Bills quarterback has been diagnosed with cancer.

A statement said Kemp is undergoing tests to assess the origin of the disease and the best treatment. The statement did not disclose the type of cancer.