A rapidly expanding wildfire in Colorado forced the evacuation of more than 11,000 people in communities near Pikes Peak on Sunday, as crews struggled to contain several large blazes around the state amid 100-degree temperatures and strong winds.
The fast-moving Waldo Canyon fire had grown to more than 2,500 acres by Sunday afternoon and had pushed to within a quarter-mile of Manitou Springs, at the base of Pikes Peak, said David Hunting, a spokesman for the town’s fire department. All 6,000 residents of the town were ordered to evacuate, he said.
The authorities also evacuated several other nearby communities and closed the Pikes Peak Highway. A number of parks, including the Garden of the Gods Park, with its towering columns of red rock, were also closed.
The sparsely populated region, west of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, is popular with tourists, who were evacuated from campgrounds and lodges.
From The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/25/us/colorado-wildfire-forces-evacuation-of-11000.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss