Vídeo: Incêndio no Colorado

Visto de um posto de comando a cerca de 16 km das chamas que avançam, toda a comunidade de Mountain Shadows parecia englobada em um brilho alaranjado após o anoitecer.

O governador do Colorado John Hickenlooper, sobrevoou a cidade terça-feira à noite. Ele viu que o fogo era  um entre, pelo menos, doze outros que ardem pelo Estado. Quatro pessoas já morreram nesses incêndios até agora.

O fogo de Waldo Canyon Fire, que já varreu 6,200 acres de madeira seca desde sábado, atraiu as atenções por dias por sua proximidade a marcos como o famoso cume de Pikes Peak e a Academia da Força Aérea.

As chamas causaram os primeiros danos em proriedades na terça, na seguda cidade mais populosa do Colorado, consumindo uma quantidade ignorada de casas nas cercanias da cidade, enquanto as autoridades se apressam em evacuar os moradores.

O Xerife do condado de El Paso,Terry Maketa, deisse que 32.000 pessoas foram evacuadas.

From the vantage point of a command post about 10 miles from the path of advancing flames, the entire community of Mountain Shadows, a northwest subdivision, appeared to be enveloped in an orange glow after dark.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper flew into the city Tuesday night by helicopter to meet with fire commanders and tour the fire zone first-hand. He noted that the blaze was one of at least a dozen burning throughout the state. Four people have died in Colorado wildfires so far this year.

The Waldo Canyon Fire, which has roared through at least 6,200 acres of dry timber since Saturday, has grabbed attention for days because of its proximity to landmarks like the famed mountaintop of Pikes Peak and the Air Force Academy.

The blaze claimed its first property losses on Tuesday as wind-driven flames swept over containment lines into Colorado's second-most populous city, consuming an unknown number of homes on the town's outskirts as authorities hurried to evacuate residents.

El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said 32,000 people had been evacuated, and an Air Force Academy spokesman said the evacuation zone included two communities of single-family homes on academy grounds housing civilian and military personnel and their families.