The White House says President Barack Obama will tour the scene of devastating wildfires in Colorado on Friday, and thank firefighters battling some of the worst fires to hit the American West in decades.
Obama called Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Wednesday, along with the mayor of Colorado Springs, where a raging wildfire destroyed dozens of houses and charred land on the edges of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
The White House says Obama expressed his concern about the extent of damage to homes in the Colorado Springs area, and underscored that the administration is bringing "all resources to bear to assist local responders" in Colorado and other Western states affected by fires.
More than 8,400 personnel, 578 fire engines and 79 helicopters are operating on wildfires around the U.S.
Meanwhile, a destructive fire northwest of Colorado Springs has destroyed dozens of houses, but the intensity of the blaze has kept officials from fully assessing the damage to the state's second-largest city.
The wildfire has burned about 10 acres of lane on the U.S. Air Force Academy's 28-square-mile campus, but no injuries or damaged stuctures have been reported.
The fire doubled in size overnight to about 24 square miles and forced mandatory evacuations for more than 32,000 residents. Among those evacuated are about 2,200 people in housing areas on the south part of the academy campus. (AP)
