Colorado Seeks to Stamp Out Wildfires: Big Pic

Sept. 8, 2010 -- Some 3,500 people were evacuated after a wildfire swept through part of Colorado, destroying dozens of homes, officials said.

Local emergency authorities drafted in help from neighboring states, as the blaze spread to cover more than 7,120 acres near the picturesque city of Boulder, while officials said more people might have to be evacuated.

"The fire is zero-percent contained," said fire commander Don Whittemore as the sun set Tuesday on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Local authorities said 92 structures, including homes, have been destroyed, but that no injuries have been reported.

"We've literally exhausted our resources," said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle, adding that federal firefighters were being dispatched to the area from Wyoming and New Mexico.

The blaze erupted Monday in Fourmile Canyon in Boulder County north of the state capital Denver, fueled by baking heat and dry conditions.

Pelle, who toured the affected area with Colorado Governor Bill Ritter during the day Tuesday, said nine volunteer firefighters who were battling the blaze had lost their homes.

Residents already evacuated were not being allowed back in to the area, he added.

"Pray for rain," Pelle said, according to the Denver Post.

Air tankers dropped fire retardant over the area to help douse the flames, and officials were heartened that light winds were forecast down sharply from the 45-mile-per-hour winds that whipped up flames on Monday.

Fire activity lessened early in the day when an air inversion laid a blanket on the fire, but once that lifted, the flames grew, Pelle said.

Ritter declared a state of emergency for the area and pledged $5 million to fire fighting activities in what are rugged areas.

Speaking to CNN, Ritter acknowledged that the blaze was unpredictable.

"We have people coming in from around other parts of the country and we're doing everything we can to commit resources to it but it's a pretty volatile situation," he said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Colorado media reported on several people who stayed with their homes despite evacuation orders, or who suddenly found themselves threatened and were lucky to escape with their lives.

"I literally got out a minute before my house was engulfed in flames," Leif Steiner told Boulder's Daily Camera. "Embers were landing on me as I left."

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