Two confirmed deaths in Colorado wildfire, President Obama visits area PHOTOS
A wildfire that forced the evacuation of 35,000 people from the edge of Colorado’s second-largest city, incinerating nearly 350 homes.
On Friday, Reuters confirms that a second body has been found, making them the sixth person killed this year in a Colorado wildfire season described by the governor as the worst in the state’s history.
All week long, reports have not sound positive as firefighters are struggling with the massive blaze.
President Obama visited the wildfire-ravaged landscape in the foothills of Colorado Springs today, calling it a “major disaster,” and pledged to release federal funding to the counties affected.
“The devastation is enormous,” Obama said. “This community is obviously heartbroken.”
The president traveled through the Mountain Shadows subdivision of Colorado Springs today, where many of the homes have been burnt to the ground. During his three-hour visit to the state, he also met with firefighters, first reponders and evacuees.
A U.S. Secret Service agent stands post as President Barack Obama views fire damage in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 29, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama views fire damage with firefighters and elected officials in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 29, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Fire still burns in the Mount Saint Francois area of Colorado Springs, Co. while firefighters continue to battle several fires in Waldo Canyon on June 28, 2012. The Waldo Canyon fire has grown to 18,500 acres and burned over 300 homes. Currently, more than 90 firefighters from the Academy, along with assets from Air Force Space Command; F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.; Fort Carson, Colo.; and the local community continue to fight the Waldo Canyon fire.(U.S. Air Force Photo by: Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock)
2012 Wildland Fires – Waldo Canyon, CO June photo/Pete Modreski , USGS
This June 27, 2012, photo was taken of the Waldo Canyon fire from southwestern Colorado Springs, Colorado, looking northwest towards the areas where the fire started on Saturday, June 23. Photo/Don Savage via NASA
NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on June 23, 2012. Red outlines approximate the locations of actively burning fires. The High Park and Weber Fires produced the largest plumes of smoke. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen using data obtained from the Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE).
