"Thousands flee homes as western wildfires persist. Colorado's Governor Gary Herbert estimates the fire has caused millions of dollars worth of damage. Soot and smoke also worry residents."
"COLORADO SPRINGS -- A monster Colorado wildfire raging near some of the most visited tourist areas in the state took a turn for the worse on Tuesday as hot winds pushed flames north, prompting the evacuation of 7,000 more people, officials said.
Colorado's so-called Waldo Canyon fire sent a mushroom cloud of smoke nearly 20,000 feet (6,100 metres) into the air over Colorado Springs near Pikes Peak, whose breathtaking vistas from the summit helped inspire the song "America the Beautiful".
Closer to the blaze, which has been fanned by winds blowing into the Southern Rockies from the prairies to the east, trees were visibly twisting from the heat of the flames."
Keith Coffman reports for Reuters June 26, 2012.
SEE ALSO:
"32,000 Evacuated in Fast-Moving Colorado Springs Wildfire" (CNN)
"Study: Los Angeles Average Temps to Rise 4 to 5 Degrees by 2041" (Mother Jones)
"Fires Spread in Colorado, Utah" (Los Angeles Times)
"Tens of Thousands Evacuated in Colo. Wildfires" (MSNBC)
"Colorado Wildfires Worsen, 32,000 Flee Homes" (Reuters)
"Texas Sets June Power Record for 2nd Straight Day" (Reuters)
"Southwest Drought, Climate Warming and Fuel: An Explosive Combination for Record Wildfires" (Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang: Jason Samenow, 6/14/2012)
"Is Drought a Side Effect of Southwest Warming?" (Arizona Daily Star: Tony Davis, 6/14/2012)
"1 Found Dead in Sanpete County Wildfire" (AP)
