Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Colorado wildfire causes a mandatory evacuation of 32,000 people

Officials have ordered more than 32,000 people to flee their homes as firefighters struggled to beat back a fiercely aggressive wildfire raging at the edge of Colorado Springs on Wednesday. The Waldo Canyon Fire, which started June 23, has burned 15,324 acres and is 5 percent contained. A more precise figure wasn't available because of the intensity of the fire. Winds gusting to 65 mph through mountain canyons blew the wildfire through containment lines into northwest Colorado Springs on Tuesday afternoon. It roared downhill, burning to the ground the Flying W Ranch, a popular Western-style tourist destination. Incident Commander Rich Harvey concurred. "I hate wind ... Wind is big factor in how we do this fire. It won't stay in the same place. The winds keep shifting on us." President Barack Obama plans to pay a visit to the area on Friday to view the damage, the White House said.

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