Colorado fires burn homes, force thousands to flee

Black Forest, June 13 – Wildfires burning across Colorado Wednesday have destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands to evacuate, including 900 inmates from a state prison.

Near Colorado Springs, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said Wednesday afternoon that the Black Forest Fire had destroyed 92 homes.

The cause was still unknown.

Maketa said about 2,300 homes, affecting about 6,400 people, were evacuated, and 7,500 acres had burned since the fire began Tuesday.

No injuries or deaths have been reported. Maketa said officials were trying to confirm the whereabouts of one person reported missing Wednesday. Firefighters tried to go where the person was last seen but were turned back twice because it was too hot, he said.

Wildfires also were burning in New Mexico, Oregon and California, where a smokejumper was killed fighting one of dozens of lightning-sparked fires.

Record-high temperatures and strong winds were making containment efforts difficult. Six helicopters and an air tanker were already working the fire, Maketa said.

The Black Forest area, named for its thick growth of Ponderosa Pines, is not far from last summer's devastating Waldo Canyon Fire that destroyed 346 homes and killed two."It's very, very reminiscent of what we experienced in Waldo Canyon," Maketa said.

The fire was one of several in the state, including one near Royal Gorge Bridge that destroyed 20 structures, burned 3,800 acres and forced evacuation of more than 900 inmates from "Old Max," the Territorial Prison in Cañon City.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Adrienne Jacobson said inmates were taken to other prisons overnight as a precaution because of danger from heavy smoke. The fire had not reached the prison.

Some highways were closed amid flames reported as high as 30 feet. Evacuations were underway.

"The wildfire is still creating some havoc," said Bob Wilson, a spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation told.

-Coloradoan.com