Rabu, 27 Juni 2012

The Lede Blog: Colorado Wildfires Force Thousands to Evacuate

The Lede Blog: Colorado Wildfires Force Thousands to Evacuate

A raging wildfire in the hills overlooking Colorado Springs doubled in size overnight, as my colleague Dan Frosch reports, destroying dozens of homes and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, including the Air Force Academy.

The Waldo Canyon Fire, as it is known, stretched 24 square miles on Wednesday and continued to grow on the westside of the second largest city in Colorado, burning the historic Flying W Ranch to the ground as well as multiple homes in the Mountain Shadows area as can be seen in this video.

“This is a firestorm of epic proportions,” said Richard Brown, the Colorado Springs fire chief.

President Obama is expected to tour the damage on Friday.

Live coverage of the fire is being streamed by KOAA television. The Colorado Gazette has also set up a live blog that includes a map showing the latest evacuations.

The fire began on Saturday and surged toward Colorado Springs on Tuesday, fueled by 65-m.p.h. wind gusts. The fire prompted a large evacuation on Tuesday afternoon, as seen in this video uploaded to YouTube. No fatalities or injuries have been reported.

A wildfire also broke out in the hills to the north in Boulder County, triggered by lightning on Tuesday afternoon.

Since June 9, firefighters have been battling the 136-square-mile High Park Fire farther north in the Ft. Collins area near Colorado State University that has destroyed more than 250 homes.

A satellite analysis of the burned areas in the Waldo Canyon Fire showed the perimeter that the firefighters have set up to try and contain the blaze.

The Waldo Canyon fire engulfed a large structure as it made a run into Colorado Springs on Tuesday night.Karl Gehring/The Denver Post, via Associated PressThe Waldo Canyon Fire engulfed a large structure as it made a run into Colorado Springs on Tuesday night.

The Colorado Gazette also offered a map that showed the fire zones and population density in the area.

The C.D.C. issued a reminder for people living near the fires to take precautions because of health concerns from the billowing smoke that is sending debris throughout the area.

The loss of the Flying W Ranch, a popular family destination, was widely discussed on Twitter. The owners assured people that they would rebuild.

“It’s a sad day for the Flying W Ranch,” read the announcement on the ranch’s Web site. “With much sadness we have to report that the Flying W Ranch as well as several homes in the Mountain Shadows area has in fact been burned to the ground. We ask that in this sad time that you remember the Flying W and the Wolfe family who has owned and operated the Flying W Ranch since 1953.”

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