32,000 displaced by Colorado wildfire: “This is a firestorm of epic proportions”

June 27, 2012 – COLORADO – Firefighters again will battle inferno-like conditions on Wednesday as they try to tame an explosive wildfire that has already chased some 32,000 residents from their homes near Colorado Springs, Colorado. “This is a firestorm of epic proportions,” Richard Brown, the Colorado Springs Fire chief, said late Tuesday. Winds gusting to 65 mph through mountain canyons blew the wildfire through containment lines into northwest Colorado Springs on Tuesday afternoon. Gov. John Hickenlooper surveyed the Waldo Canyon Fire, telling reporters it was a difficult sight to see. “There were people’s homes burned to the ground. It was surreal,” he said late Tuesday night. “There’s no question, it’s serious. It’s as serious as it gets.” The 6,200-acre fire remained only 5% contained. Officials labeled it as exhibiting “extreme fire behavior. The fire conditions could not be worse,” said Anne Rys-Sikora, spokeswoman for a multi-agency fire response team. “It is like a convection oven out there.” Colorado Springs set a record high of 101 on Tuesday as firefighters contended with brutal conditions, including ash falling on highways and neighborhoods. Officials rushed in crews and aerial equipment in a bid to slow the fire. The forecast stays hot and dry for the foreseeable future, with daytime highs not falling out of the 90s until early next week, according to the National Weather service. Dave Barjenbruch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Boulder, said the past week has been hellish across Colorado. “Even in the foothills, where most of the fires are going on, most days have been in the single-digit humidity,” he said. –CNN