Fire crews in Colorado are slowly gaining control over the Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs.
The fire ranks as the most destructive in state history, having destroyed nearly 350 houses, but it's now 55% contained. Some 1,500 firefighters are on the scene. Forecasts call for more dry thunderstorms with winds up to 40 miles an hour. But fire officials say crews are prepared, and they're expressing confidence that the fire lines will keep the flames from spreading any farther.
The blaze is just one of several still burning across the West, where parched conditions and heat are making the fight difficult for crews in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Nevada.
Meanwhile, a military cargo plane from North Carolina has crashed while fighting a wildfire in South Dakota, but there's no official word on death or injuries.
The North Carolina Air National Guard says six crew members were aboard. The C-130 is part of the 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Military officials say the plane crashed after dropping fire retardant Sunday in the Black Hills.
A U.S. Forest Service official in Colorado offered sympathy to the crew members' families.
South Dakota officials tell the Rapid City Journal (http://tinyurl.com/86dpvvc) three crew members were taken to a hospital. Military officials won't comment.
Eight C-130s can be equipped to drop water or fire retardant. In addition to the Charlotte unit, they're flown by National Guard and Reserve units in California, Colorado and Wyoming. (AP)
