President Barack Obama tours fire damage with elected officials and firefighters in the Mountain Shadows residential neighborhood in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Friday, June 29. The massive fire has destroyed hundreds of homes and forced more than 36,000 people to flee.
Firefighters get ready to tackle the Waldo Canyon Fire on Friday.
Melissa Bowman, a CNN iReporter from Big Piney, Wyoming, captures the Fontenelle Fire close to her home as she waits for an evacuation notice. 
A camp for firefighters is set up at Holmes Middle School in Colorado Springs on Thursday, June 28. The Waldo Canyon Fire has scorched more than 16,700 acres. 
A partially burned home smolders Thursday in Colorado Springs. 
The line where the Waldo Canyon Fire stopped moving east is seen from the air in Colorado Springs. Lower temperatures and lighter winds helped firefighters on Thursday in the battle against the fire.
An aerial view of a destroyed neighborhood in the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs.
The Waldo Canyon fire spreads through a neighborhood in the hills above Colorado Springs on June 26. See more photos at The Denver Post.
Hazy smoke from the Waldo Canyon Fire looms behind the Air Force Academy stadium on Wednesday, June 27, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The fire expanded to 15,000 acres. More than 32,000 people have been evacuated.
Susan Custer and her husband, Gary Custer, watch the Waldo Canyon Fire on Wednesday.
At dawn on Tuesday, firefighters stir from their tents at a camp near Holmes Middle School.
Smoke billows from the Waldo Canyon Fire west of Colorado Springs on Tuesday.
Evacuees drive under a shroud of smoke from the Waldo Canyon Fire on Tuesday.
J’Amie Sirvaitis of Colorado Springs watches the Waldo Canyon Fire after winds pushed the fire into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood in Colorado Springs on Tuesday.
Residents of Colorado Springs watch as the Waldo Canyon Fire burns a home in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood on Tuesday.
1000
Smoke from the Waldo Canyon Fire engulfs Interstate 25 north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the blaze burns out of control Tuesday.
A large plume of smoke from the Waldo Canyon Fire fills the sky west of Colorado Springs on Tuesday.
Jan Stone, right, comforts Angela Morgan as smoke from the Waldo Canyon Fire pours over the Mountain Shadows neighborhood of Colorado Springs on Tuesday.
A portion of the Waldo Canyon Fire moves across a hillside above a subdivision west of Colorado Springs on Tuesday.
Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Department of Transportation personnel set up a roadblock west of Manitou Springs, Colorado, on Monday, June 25.
A portion of the Waldo Canyon fire burns out of control in the hills west of Manitou Springs on Monday.
Trees burn on a ridge above Cedar Heights in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Sunday, June 24. 
Greg and Karen Bodine help her father, Duane Schormann, left, load his animals into a trailer near Colorado Springs as they evacuate the area Sunday.
The High Park Fire, which was 45% contained as of Saturday, has destroyed 191 homes west of Fort Collins. 
The High Park Fire rages through the forest west of Fort Collins, Colorado, on Tuesday, June 19.
Local resident Dwayne Crawford looks out at the High Park Fire from his home west of Fort Collins on Tuesday, June 19.
A heavy air tanker drops fire retardant on the blaze June 19. Its growth potential was “extreme,” according to authorities.
Flames scorched this area outside of Fort Collins where the High Park Fire has burned out.
A helicopter drops water over the Wood Hollow Fire north of Fairview, Utah, on Tuesday.
A wall of fire makes its way down a hillside toward a farm north of Fairview, Utah, on Tuesday. The Wood Hollow Fire, one of at least three wildfires burning in Utah, has grown to nearly 39,000 acres.
Smoldering earth and damage from the Dump Fire, which began June 21, can be seen outside a plant near Saratoga Springs, Utah, on Saturday, June 23.
Burned-out terrain from the Dump Fire fills a hillside near Saratoga Springs, Utah on Saturday.
The smoke plume from a fire in the Los Padres National Forest, which began on June 16, billows into the sky. The fire burned more than 500 acres before it was contained.
Firefighters watch as the wildfire spreads throught the Los Padres National Forest on June 16. Another fire in San Diego County has burned almost 1000 acres leading to 150 homes being evacuated. 
A helicopter makes a water drop on the wildfire in Los Padres National Forest on June 16.
The Poco Fire from Rim Vista in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona ignited on June 14 and spread to 4,900 acres.
An airplane drops retardant on the 257 Fire near Superior, Arizona, on June 14. The blaze was about 85% contained at a size of more than 2,800 acres. 
Firefighters battle the Little Bear Fire in the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico on June 14. The Little Bear Fire had burned more than 40,000 acres and was still spreading.
The Little Bear Fire spreads across a road in the Lincoln National Forest on June 13.
Firefighters in New Mexico struggle on June 14 to contain the Little Bear blaze, which has destroyed more than 250 structures.
This portion of landscape was charred by the Little Bear Fire in New Mexico on June 14. Are wildfires blazing near you? Share photos and videos with iReport here, but please stay safe.HIDE CAPTION
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
Wildfires rage in Western states
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
>
>>
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: The Waldo Canyon Fire has scorched more than 17,000 acres; it is 25% contained
- A second body was discovered inside a destroyed home in Colorado Springs
- The president describes “enormous devastation,” says “we’re starting to see progress”
- At least 346 homes have been destroyed;
1000
thousands of others remain under threat
(CNN) — Speaking in Colorado Springs, Colorado, after touring areas ravaged by fires Friday, President Barack Obama said that he saw “enormous devastation” in some subdivisions but that authorities are also “starting to see progress.”
“When natural disasters like this hit, America comes together,” he said.
The president touted the efforts of firefighters and federal, state and local agencies, expressing his hope that some good might yet come from the calamity.
“Some lessons are being learned about how we can mitigate some of these fires in the future. … Hopefully, out of this tragedy, some long-term planning occurs, and it may be that we can curb some of the damage that happens the next time,” the president said.
Obama praises Colorado firefighters
Colorado declared major disaster area
Family sees home
1000
burning on front page
High winds fueling Colorado wildfire
Friday also brought sad news to Colorado Springs about the deadly nature of the monster wildfire, as it raged nearby and came roaring down a mountain.
Authorities discovered an additional body in a house consumed by flames Friday, raising the death toll from the fire to two.
In all, 346 homes have been ravaged, and the threat still looms large. Another 20,000 homes and 160 businesses stand dangerously close to the blaze.
Distinctly evangelical tone in wildfire responses
The Waldo Canyon Fire has scorched more than 17,000 acres — close to 27 square miles -- and brought fear, anxiety and grief to Colorado Springs, the state’s second-largest city that was, until a few days ago, happily situated in the valley below picturesque Pikes Peak.
It is one of many fires burning in the West right now — including in Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.
But Friday also brought some relief. By the afternoon, the Waldo Canyon Fire was 25% contained, up from 15% a day before.
“Hoping to have another good day tomorrow. … We got a long way to go. There’s still a lot of heat in this fire. There’s still a lot of smoke and lot of things we’re going to have to watch out for, but we are making progress, and we’re going to continue doing that,” said Jerri Marr, forest supervisor of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands.
The fire, raging since last weekend, had been growing steadily, fueled by hot, arid conditions and winds that gusted at 65 miles per hour. Thursday was the first day that firefighters felt they were winning the battle.
The effort to tame the flames got a boost Friday from the military, which is deploying eight of the U.S. Forest Service’s Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems aboard C-130 aircraft. The systems will drop retardant on the Waldo Canyon Fire as well as other wildfires still burning in Colorado.
A battalion of U.S. Army troops from Fort Carson, Colorado, also began training Friday to fight wildfires. Five hundred and thirty troops are undergoing three days of training, according to Lt. Col. Steven Wollman, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division headquartered at the base just south of Colorado Springs.
A decision has not been made yet on whether to send the troops into the Waldo Canyon Fire. The U.S. Forest Service would have
1000
to make a specific request for the troops to be sent in, after they complete the training.
Colorado also got some help from California, a state all too familiar with rampant wildfire destruction. Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday directed the California National Guard to lend Colorado two C-130J airplanes, equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System II. About 30 crew members will go east with the aircraft.
Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach, who has been present at media briefings, skipped talking to reporters Friday morning.
He attended an emotional meeting the evening before with residents wanting to know what had happened to their homes. And in the morning, he was gearing up for his meeting with the president, sorting out in his head what kind of federal aid he would ask for.
“I really appreciate the president coming here … if nothing more than just to reassure us that this has a focus at a national level, that there are people all over this country who are concerned for our citizens and those who have lost their homes,” Bach said.
“And I do plan to ask for cash,” he added.
Obama declared Colorado a disaster area to allow for the flow of federal dollars to help fight the Waldo Canyon Fire as well the High Park Fire, which has burned more than 87,000 acres in northern Colorado since it began on June 9.
Among the people whose lives are forever changed are Rebekah and Byron Largent.
They should have been celebrating their daughter Emma’s first birthday Tuesday. Instead, they fled their home.
They thought they would be back in a few days and took only what they could carry: a few toys, clothes.
Byron Largent listened intently to an emergency scanner and heard a firefighter say, “Majestic is gone.”
Majestic is the name of their street. He braced himself for the worst.
He clung to his wife at Thursday’s meeting as they got the dreaded confirmation on a piece of paper that listed the 346 houses on 34 streets. Their rented house was burned to a pile of smoldering ash and rubble.
Gone are the wedding dress, the family photos and Rebekah Largent’s grandmother’s china.
“I looked at it and said, ‘We’ll be back in a few days,’ ” Byron Largent said of the china.
Also gone is the rocking chair where the Largents took turns over the past year rocking Emma to sleep.
“That’s the one we are both really, really distraught over, not having anymore,” he said.
Brandon Hanson and his wife, Maria, were also at the meeting. They scanned the list of addresses; theirs was not on it.
“It was a big, big relief,” Hanson said.
But it was relief tempered by the sadness of people who were now homeless.
“The entire neighborhood is gone. It’s like a war zone,” he said. “We are so lucky.”
More than 36,000 people have fled their homes in Colorado Springs neighborhoods like Mountain Shadows and Peregrine.
Open Story:
1000
iReporters share their harrowing views of the wildfires
It was in Mountain Shadows where authorities discovered a charred body late Thursday inside one of the homes during a search for two people who were reported missing in the area. The second body was found in the same house Friday.
Authorities made the discovery after a family had “inquired about the status of their loved ones,” police spokeswoman Barbara Miller said.
Help for wildfire evacuees and first responders
Authorities also announced the arrest of two people accused of burglarizing a home left vacant by the evacuation order.
Belinda Yates, 38, and Shane Garrett, 36, were being held on suspicion of second-degree burglary, theft, possession of a controlled substance and other related charges, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said.
Meanwhile, the cause of the Waldo Canyon Fire remains unknown.
The Denver office of the FBI joined agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with local authorities, in investigating reports that an arsonist may be responsible.
It could be mid-July before the fire is fully under control, the U.S. Forest Service said.
New app tracks Colorado wildfires
CNN’s Barbara Starr, Greg Morrison, Phil Gast and Ashley Hayes contributed to this report.
237
214
Continue reading: