Obama: Colorado wildfires are 'heartbreaking'
By The Week Staff | June 29, 2012
Flames erupt atop a ridge near Horsetooth Reservoir near Laporte, Colo. The High Park Fire in Larimer County has burned almost 37,000 acres and damaged or destroyed more than 100 structures.
Marc Piscotty/Getty Images
C
ooler temperatures and lighter winds are helping firefighters finally gain an edge on wildfires that continue to engulf parts of Colorado. On Friday, President Obama toured one devastated Mountain Shadows neighborhood, calling the destruction "devastating" and "heartbreaking for these families" who lost their homes. The fires are the most destructive in state history, with 347 homes destroyed — and counting. Out of roughly 15,000 firefighting personnel available nationwide, more than 8,800 have been dispatched to help contain the blazes. "This is one of the busier Junes we've had in quite a while," says Kari Boyd-Peak of the National Interagency Fire Center.
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