Weather eases firefighters’ battle

Destruction continues in Colo., N.M. blazes

Slightly better weather provided a much-needed break Tuesday for firefighters battling several lightningsparked wildfires in the western USA.

Nationally, about 4,000 firefighters battled at least 19 large wildfires in nine U.S. states, the National Interagency Fire Center reported.

Fires in the worst-hit states of Colorado and New Mexico have destroyed hundreds of structures and forced thousands of people to flee.

In New Mexico, 224 homes and 10 outbuildings have been destroyed by the large fire burning near Ruidoso, according to the state’s fire information website.

The High Park Fire near Fort Collins, Colo., was 5% contained late Tuesday, according to InciWeb, a federal website that tracks wildfires.

Linda Steadman, 62, was killed in the fire over the weekend.

“We know we have some containment on the eastern flank of the fire,” Larimer County sheriff’s spokesman John Schulz said.

Fire commander Bill Hahnenberg said officials hoped to reach 10% containment by the end of the day

More fuel for the fire is available because of the spread of bark beetles across millions of acres of forests over the past few years. “The beetles kill the tree, and when the tree dies, it loses its moisture,” said Chad Hoffman, an assistant professor of fire science at Colorado State University.

The fire in New Mexico near Ruidoso was 30% contained.

By V. Richard Haro, The Coloradoan, via AP Colorado fire is 5% contained: Smoke billows from a wildfire west of Fort Collins, Colo., on Tuesday. The fire, which started Saturday, has burned more than 40,000 acres. The fire has wrapped Denver, which is 60 miles away, in smoke.