The fires, the worst in recent history in Colorado and currently the most dangerous in the nation, are also threatening Colorado's $7-billion tourist industry.

But Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, who has heard fears of the fire from as far away as Japan, wants to make one thing perfectly clear: ''The city of Denver is not on fire.''

''Our shops are open,'' Webb says. ''Fans continue to go to baseball and soccer games, workers continue to go to work, visitors continue to enjoy our restaurants, our theaters and our museums, our zoo and other attractions.''

Webb stresses he in no way wants to minimize the seriousness of the biggest fire, the Hayman fire, or any of the others in the state.

''But it's also critical that we join together to fight the perception that the state is on fire and that the city of Denver is somehow threatened by the fires,'' Webb adds. ''Tourism is many things and we cannot continue to allow the perception to continue that the whole state is on fire. It is not true, and our state's economy cannot bear this misinformation to be spread throughout the nation and the world.''

He blames the media, in part, for using Denver as a national reference point, leading people to believe Denver is threatened by the fires.

''The fact of the matter is that it is near impossible for this fire to actually come into our city's borders--it is 35 miles away and there are too many natural obstacles that would allow that to happen.

''There is no question that the seriousness of these unprecedented fires in our state is newsworthy. However, in reality, less than 1% of the state is actually on fire, and 37 of 40 state parks are still open.''