Wildfire ruins hundreds of US homes
Source: Agencies |
June 30, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ONE person has been found dead, another is missing and nearly 350 homes have been destroyed by a raging US wildfire that has forced tens of thousands to flee this week. US President Barack Obama was scheduled to tour the scene of the most destructive fire in Colorado history late yesterday.
The fire was held at bay overnight and did not destroy any more homes, and incident commander Rich Harvey said firefighters hope to make more progress.
Ever-changing winds this week have caused the fire to push into the city limits of Colorado Springs, frustrating firefighters and roaring along the edge of the US Air Force Academy. It was still too dangerous for officials to get close enough to determine the cause of the fire.
Police Chief Pete Carey said late on Thursday the remains of one person were found in a home where two people had been reported missing. He said yesterday that authorities are trying to track down "less than 10" people who may be unaccounted for.
The fire is one of the worst in the American west in decades. From above, the destruction was clear. Rows and rows of houses were reduced to smoldering ashes, even as some just meters away survived largely intact.
"Our minds just started sifting through all the memories of that house that we lost," resident Rebekah Largent said. She remembered her wedding dress, a grandmother's china, the rocking chair where she and her husband would sit with their daughter Emma, who turned one the day their home burned.
The fire was held at bay overnight and did not destroy any more homes, and incident commander Rich Harvey said firefighters hope to make more progress.
Ever-changing winds this week have caused the fire to push into the city limits of Colorado Springs, frustrating firefighters and roaring along the edge of the US Air Force Academy. It was still too dangerous for officials to get close enough to determine the cause of the fire.
Police Chief Pete Carey said late on Thursday the remains of one person were found in a home where two people had been reported missing. He said yesterday that authorities are trying to track down "less than 10" people who may be unaccounted for.
The fire is one of the worst in the American west in decades. From above, the destruction was clear. Rows and rows of houses were reduced to smoldering ashes, even as some just meters away survived largely intact.
"Our minds just started sifting through all the memories of that house that we lost," resident Rebekah Largent said. She remembered her wedding dress, a grandmother's china, the rocking chair where she and her husband would sit with their daughter Emma, who turned one the day their home burned.
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