The total number of homes destroyed by a two-week old wildfire in northern Colorado was raised to 248 on Sunday as residents of a subdivision near Fort Collins learned that 57 more homes in their neighborhood had been lost, authorities said. 
 
 In this Saturday, June 23, 2012 photo provided by Darrell Spangler, a firefighter works the scene of a home being consumed by flames in Estes Park, Colo. As many as 21 structures were destroyed by the... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo provided by Darrell Spangler, rubble smolders Sunday, June 24, 2012, from a home consumed by fire a day earlier, in Estes Park, Colo. As many as 21 structures were destroyed by the fire... (Associated Press) 
 
 A giant plume from the Waldo Canyon Fire hovers high above Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, Colo. on Saturday, June 23, 2012. The fire is zero percent contained and has consumed 2500 acres.... (Associated Press) 
 
 The evening sky glows orange as smoke and flames from the Waldo Canyon Fire has consumed 2500 acres west of Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, Colo. on Saturday, June 23, 2012. The fire is zero... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Saturday, June 23, 2012 photo provided by Darrell Spangler, fire consumes a home in Estes Park, Colo. As many as 21 structures were destroyed by the fire on Saturday. Eight separate wildfires... (Associated Press) 
 
 A helicopter drops water on a wildfire near Colorado Springs, Colo., on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation... (Associated Press) 
 
 Fire officials had previously said that 191 homes had burned, the most in state history. The High Park Fire is the second-largest wildfire and among the most expensive in Colorado's history. It has scorched more than 130 square miles and was just 45 percent contained on Sunday, The Denver Post reported. 
 
 With a total of eight fires burning, Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in a decade. 
 
 A fire near Colorado Springs erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000 residents and an unknown number of tourists. Authorities said Sunday that they were allowing about 5,000 of those residents to return. 
 
 Also on Saturday, a blaze destroyed structures near the mountain community of Estes Park, where many visitors stay while visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said Sunday that 22 homes and 2 outbuildings had been burned. 
 
 "We're used to flooding and tornadoes, nothing like this," said Amanda Rice, who recently moved to the area from Rock Falls, Ill. Rice, her husband, four children and dog left a Manitou Springs hotel late Saturday. 
 
 Rice, scared when she saw flames, took her family to the evacuation center before she was told to go. 
 
 "It was just this God-awful orange glow. It was surreal. It honestly looked like hell was opening up," Rice said Sunday. 
 
 With Colorado midway through its worst wildfire season in a decade, travelers have seen some of their favorite sites closed to the public, obscured by smoke and haze. Some travelers were awoken with evacuation orders. 
 
 Plumes of gray and white smoke poured from the mountains Sunday, obscuring at times Pikes Peak, the most-summited high-elevation mountain in the nation and inspiration for the song "America The Beautiful." Winds were pushing smoke away from Colorado Springs, but residents and tourists watched nervously as haze wrapped around the peak. 
 
 Families planning whitewater rafting trips or visits to the stunning red-rock formations in Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs were instead spending their vacations passing out bottled water and setting up cots in evacuee centers. 
 
 They included Mark Stein of Morristown, N.J., whose family arrived after midnight Sunday at their Manitou Springs hotel for a week of whitewater rafting and sightseeing. 
 
 "We were sleeping for 15 minutes when they started knocking on the door _ a day from hell," Stein said of the day of travel. With his wife and two sons, Stein spent the first night of his vacation setting up cots for more than 200 evacuees who slept at the school. 
 
 "I think it's the best vacation ever. This is what the real world is about. There's a lot of people that need help," Stein said. 
 
 Also Sunday, a brushfire that began near Elbert, about 50 miles southwest of Denver, quickly spread to about 60 acres, forcing the evacuation of about 100 residents. 
 
 Half the nation's firefighting fleet is now battling fires in Colorado, said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. He said C-130 military transport planes from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs would begin assisting on Monday. 
 
 "People recognize this is going to take a big push" to extinguish, Hickenlooper said Sunday from a Colorado Springs grocery store, where volunteers were passing out burritos, sandwiches and drinks to 350 firefighters working near Pikes Peak. 
 
 The wildfire near Rocky Mountain National Park destroyed vacation cabins and closed the most commonly used entrance to the park. Clouds of smoke blew toward the 102-year-old Stanley Hotel that inspired Stephen King to write "The Shining." 
 
 Elsewhere in the West, firefighters made progress against wildfires in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and California. 
 
 _ In Utah, a 15-square-mile blaze around Fountain Green in Sanpete County was threatening more than 359 permanent structures and 213 mobile homes and travel trailers in four rural subdivisions, forcing about 1,000 people to flee. BLM says the human-caused fire erupted Saturday afternoon. Officials report progress on a 9-square-mile wildfire around Saratoga Springs, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. 
 
 _ In California, a wildfire about 60 miles north of Los Angeles triggered evacuations of campgrounds around an off-road recreation area on Saturday. Officials said the fire has blackened at least 1,000 acres in the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area, along the Interstate 5 corridor in Gorman. 
 
 _ In New Mexico, a lightning-caused wildfire that destroyed 242 homes and businesses is 90 percent contained. The 69-square-mile fire near Ruidoso began June 4. Meanwhile, the largest wildfire in state history was 87 percent contained, having burned more than 464 square miles after two blazes merged on May 16. 
 
 _ In Montana, two wildfires were burning in the southwest part of the state, including the fast-moving Antelope Fire, which started Saturday afternoon about 10 miles north of Whitehall and had grown to 462 acres on Sunday. About 100 firefighters were battling that blaze. 
 
 _ In Arizona, the U.S. Forest Service said Sunday that containment against the Poco Fire, just outside of Young, is up to 50 percent and remains under 12,000 acres. Officials say many of the firefighting resources are being released to their home units or to other fire assignments. 

 A house consumed by the Woodland Heights fire on Saturday, June 23, 2012. (Photo provided by Darrell Spangler ) 
 
 On the hottest day of the year so far, wildfires erupted throughout Colorado on Saturday, producing fast-moving fires that burned down homes in Estes Park, forced evacuations in Colorado Springs and shut down state highways in southern Colorado. 
 
 Firefighting officials are girding for more of the same as a hot and dry weather pattern likely won't lift until midweek. 
 
 A jetliner full of firefighters has been summoned to the Western Slope, where buses will take them throughout the state; firefighting planes and helicopters are being positioned around Colorado to be ready to strike; and fire managers are set for a tough battle over the next few days. 
 
 "We are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best," said Steve Segin of the Rocky Mountain fire-incident team. "We just have to hope Mother Nature gives us a break." 
 
 Relative-humidity levels were near zero Saturday, drying trees and grasses to tinderbox-like conditions. High temperatures hovered above 100 degrees. And even the slightest wind could blow a spark into a raging fire. 
 
 Fire managers use the "Haines Index" that takes into account temperatures and moisture content to determine the fire potential on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being the worst possible conditions for large fire growth. 
 
 Saturday was a "super 6." Today is expected to be the same, Segin said. 
 
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 "We have got a couple of critical fire days ahead," he said. "It is going to be very active. We haven't had a fire season this bad since certainly 2002." 
 
 Eight large fires were burning in Colorado on Saturday, including the High Park fire in Larimer County that grew to 81,190 acres after a flare-up Friday. 
 
 In Colorado Springs, a fire that started in the popular Waldo Canyon hiking area quickly grew to 2,000 acres. Police went door-to-door and drove through neighborhoods using loudspeakers in forced evacuations. 
 
 Facing high winds at the Woodland Heights fire in Estes Park, firefighters try to keep a structure blaze out of nearby trees in the High Drive neighborhood. (Walter Hester, Estes Park Trail Gazette) 
 
 "All west-side residents need to be ready for evacuation," Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach told The Gazette. "This is serious." 
 
 As a huge column of smoke rose over western Colorado Springs, The Gazette reported deer and other animals running through neighborhoods to flee the fire. As many as 2,300 residents have been evacuated. 
 
 Farther north, an Estes Park cabin caught fire near the Beaver Meadows entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park just after noon. Within a few hours, the fire had destroyed 21 structures. 
 
 Firefighters work to extinguish hot spots in burned- out structures Saturday near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. The fast-moving fire was in "mop-up" stage by evening, officials said. (Matthew Jonas, Longmont Times-Call) 
 
 "Today put things on a whole new level," said Lois Ivey, who was visiting from Florida and had been watching the High Park fire events over the past week. "It hit home when it burned a residential area. It's very tense." 
 
 Helicopters that had been fighting the High Park fire jumped over to Estes Park for initial attack. 
 
 In southern Colorado, officials said the Weber fire spread rapidly, growing to about 6,000 acres, and was backing down a hill toward the town of Mancos. 
 
 Near Durango, firefighters battled the Stateline fire as gusty winds from a nearby thunderstorm in Farmington, N.M., fanned flames. 
 
 "You can sit by and do nothing, but that's not our nature," Segin said. "We just have to hope that moisture will come." 

 COLORADO SPRINGS — The Waldo Canyon fire, which officials here called "very aggressive," spread in three directions and displaced about 11,000 people from their homes as fires continued to burn statewide Sunday. 
 
 Nearly half that total — about 5,000 living in Manitou Springs — were allowed to return to their homes beginning at 8 p.m. Sunday. Mandatory evacuations remained in place for Cascade, Green Mountain Falls and Chipita Park. 
 
 Situated several miles west of Colorado Springs, the fire — which for many residents in this southern Colorado city became a spectacle — charred at least 2,500 acres and forced evacuations of about 4,000 homes in El Paso County. 
 
 "This is a day we've long dreaded would come," Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach said at a news conference Sunday afternoon. 
 
 While officials reported no structural damage at the afternoon news conference, the fire remained at zero containment, with another acreage assessment slated for this morning. 
 
 Greg Heule, a public-information officer for the Waldo Canyon fire, said 450 firefighters from several agencies were working to contain it. 
 
 "The fire has been very, very active," Heule said. "I anticipate quite a few more acres than what we currently have." 
 
 A Type 1 incident command team, the highest classification for fire disasters, was requested by local fire officials and is expected to take over the operations at the fire as early as today. 
 
 Moreover, four specially equipped C-130 military transport planes — capable of dropping 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in less than five seconds — are slated to help with the fire. 
 
 Two of the aircraft will be provided by the 302nd Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve, Peterson Air Force Base, and two by the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, Cheyenne. 
 
 Sulyn Wallace said she received a knock on her door at 2 a.m. from police telling her to evacuate. 
 
 Evacuees head east on Highway 24 towards Manitou Springs as they race to get away from the fire. The Waldo Canyon fire continues to burn northwest of Manitou Springs, Colorado today June 24th, 2012. The fire which is threatening the Cedar Heights neighborhood has already consume over 2,500 acres with 0% containment. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post (THE DENVER POST | Helen H. Richardson) 
 
 "It's just shocking. It's really scary to see the smoke this close to home," said Wallace, who has lived in Manitou for about 20 years and had never been evacuated. 
 
 Roy Byrne moved to Manitou Springs six months ago from Las Vegas. 
 
 "I'm not used to this fire stuff," Byrne said. "I barely had any time to get my belongings and get out." 
 
 Gov. John Hickenlooper met with fire officials and said more than half the nation's fleet of firefighting resources is now in Colorado. 
 
 The fire began Saturday afternoon, and there was no information on what sparked it. In neighboring Teller County, arson is suspected as the cause of some wildfires. 
 
 A Manitou Springs police officer who declined to give his name keeps people away from the entrance to Manitou Springs on Colorado Ave. They arrived thinking they were allowed back but officials have said the evacuation orders will be lifted at 8:00 pm tonight June 24th, 2012. It was about 7:15 so many people pulled to the side of the road to wait for the reopening of the town. The Waldo Canyon fire continues to burn northwest of Manitou Springs, Colorado today June 24th, 2012. The fire which is threatening the Cedar Heights neighborhood, has already consume over 2,500 acres with 0% containment. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post (THE DENVER POST | Helen H. Richardson) 
 
 When asked about the chance that arson may have been involved in the Waldo Canyon fire, Hickenlooper said: "It makes me crazy. I can't even think straight." 
 
 Officials with the Red Cross estimated that more than 200 people stayed at Cheyenne Mountain High School on Saturday night, with more expected to arrive Sunday. 
 
 Jeannie Jonack was evacuated from her Manitou home and sat next to a cot she had claimed in the school's gymnasium. 
 
 "You never see fires this close to the city," Jonack said. "I remember the smoke from the Hayman, which was nearby but not right on top of us like this one." 
 
 At a morning briefing, Bach said, "We're just really concerned about the speed at which this fire is spreading." 
 
 Marco Clark, 29, (left) and his brother, Alex, 23, watch as the Waldo Canyon Fire burns outside of Colorado Springs on Sunday, June 24, 2012. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post (THE DENVER POST | AARON ONTIVEROZ) 
 
 "We're hoping that with additional federalized resources in here we can make some progress on this the next couple of days," Bach said. 
 
 Sunday night, an orange haze from the fire blanketed much of Colorado Springs. 
 
 Officials closed Cheyenne Canon Park, Palmer Park and Garden of the Gods as a precaution because of the high fire danger. 
 
 The Colorado Springs Fire Department reported flames from the Waldo Canyon fire as high as 100 feet Saturday night, moving a half-mile to a mile per hour. 
 
 The Penrose Equestrian Center was providing shelter for large animals evacuated from the fire area. 
 
 To the north in Douglas County, another small fire prompted some pre-evacuation notices Sunday. 
 
 COLORADO SPRINGS - A C-130 transport plane heads back to reload after making a run at the Waldo Fire Monday, June 25, 2012. Steve Nehf, The Denver Post (THE DENVER POST | Steve Nehf) 
 
 The Trout Creek fire started after 2 p.m. about half a mile east of Highway 67 in Pike National Forest. 
 
 Fire officials sent out a pre-evacuation notice to 155 homes in West Creek and Trout Creek subdivisions. 
 
 The fire was estimated at about 25 acres Sunday afternoon, with full containment expected by nighttime. 
 
 There were 20 firefighters battling the fire, assisted by a helicopter and two single-engine air tankers. 
 
 Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, klee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kurtisalee 
 
 11,000 
 
 Number of people evacuated at one point in Waldo Canyon fire 
 
 248 
 
 Homes destroyed in High Park fire 
 
 2012 Fires 
 
 Lower North Fork fire 
 
 Date started: March 22 
 
 Location: One mile east of Foxton 
 
 Acres: 4,140 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: 27 
 
 Casualties/injuries: Three homeowners died from smoke inhalation and exposure to flames. 
 
 Status: 100 percent contained April 2 
 
 Little Sand fire 
 
 Date started: May 13, still active 
 
 Location: 13 miles northwest of Pagosa Springs 
 
 Acres: 20,416 on Sunday afternoon 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: None 
 
 Firefighters working: 181 on Sunday afternoon 
 
 Casualties: None 
 
 Status: 31 percent contained Sunday afternoon 
 
 Hewlett fire 
 
 Date started: May 14 
 
 Location: North of Highway 14 in Poudre Canyon 
 
 Acres: 7,658 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: None 
 
 Casualties: None 
 
 Status: 100 percent contained May 22 
 
 Sunrise Mine fire 
 
 Date started: May 25 
 
 Location: Four miles north of Paradox 
 
 Acres: 5,742 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: None 
 
 Casualties/injuries: None 
 
 Status: 100 percent contained June 3 
 
 Springer fire 
 
 Date started: June 17 
 
 Location: Three miles from Lake George 
 
 Acres: 1,145 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: None 
 
 Casualties/injuries: Firefighters suffered three minor injuries 
 
 Status: 100 percent contained Saturday 
 
 High Park fire 
 
 Date started: June 9 
 
 Location: 15 miles west of Fort Collins 
 
 Acres: 83,205 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: 248 as of Sunday evening 
 
 Firefighters working: 1,923 
 
 Casualties/injuries: One casualty; two firefighters injured but not fire- related 
 
 Status: 45 percent Sunday afternoon 
 
 Woodland Heights fire 
 
 Date started: Saturday 
 
 Location: Estes Park 
 
 Acres: 27.3 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: 22 
 
 Firefighters working: Unknown 
 
 Casualties/injuries: None 
 
 Status:75 percent containment as of Sunday afternoon; 100 percent containment anticipated by Sunday night 
 
 Stateline fire 
 
 Date started: Saturday 
 
 Location: Durango, near the Colorado-New Mexico border 
 
 Acres: 350 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: One 
 
 Firefighters working: Unknown 
 
 Casualties/injuries: Two firefighters treated for smoke inhalation Saturday 
 
 Status: 15 percent containment as of Sunday afternoon 
 
 Treasure fire 
 
 Date started: Saturday 
 
 Location: Mosquito Peak, outside of Leadville 
 
 Acres: 300 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: None reported as of Sunday afternoon 
 
 Firefighters working: 62 
 
 Casualties/injuries: None 
 
 Status: Five percent containment as of Sunday afternoon 
 
 Waldo Canyon fire 
 
 Date started: Saturday 
 
 Location: Pike National Forest, El Paso County 
 
 Acres: 2,500 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: None 
 
 Firefighters working: 450 
 
 Casualties/injuries: None 
 
 Status: Zero containment as of Sunday afternoon 
 
 CR-102 fire 
 
 Date started: Sunday 
 
 Location: Near Elbert in El Paso County 
 
 Acres: 600 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: None 
 
 Casualties/injuries: None 
 
 Status: 90 percent contained by 4:50 p.m. Sunday 
 
 Trout Creek fire 
 
 Date started: Sunday 
 
 Location: Half a mile east of Highway 67 
 
 Acres: 15-20 
 
 Homes destroyed or damaged: None 
 
 Firefighters working: 20 
 
 Casualties/injuries: None 
 
 Status: Unknown containment as of Sunday evening 
 
 Sarah Simmons, The Denver Post 

 A rapidly expanding wildfire in Colorado forced the evacuation of more than 11,000 people in communities near Pikes Peak on Sunday, as crews struggled to contain several large blazes around the state amid 100-degree temperatures and strong winds. 
 
 The fast-moving Waldo Canyon fire had grown to more than 2,500 acres by Sunday afternoon and had pushed to within a quarter-mile of Manitou Springs, at the base of Pikes Peak, said David Hunting, a spokesman for the town’s fire department. All 6,000 residents of the town were ordered to evacuate, he said. 
 
 The authorities also evacuated several other nearby communities and closed the Pikes Peak Highway. A number of parks, including the Garden of the Gods Park, with its towering columns of red rock, were also closed. 
 
 The sparsely populated region, west of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, is popular with tourists, who were evacuated from campgrounds and lodges. 
 
 Rob Deyerberg, a fire information officer for El Paso County, said the fire was “changing rapidly on us,” complicating efforts to contain it and protect nearby homes and businesses. 
 
 “Dry fuels, temperatures and wind are, if not record setting, then right at it,” he said. 
 
 More than 400 emergency workers were trying to contain the blaze, officials said. As of Sunday afternoon, no structures had been damaged. 
 
 A dry winter and hot spring have made for a combustive summer in Colorado and surrounding states, straining local resources as firefighters battle multiple blazes that seem only to grow. A fire in Larimer County, Colo., started by lightning nearly two weeks ago, has destroyed at least 191 homes and burned more than 82,000 acres, officials said. 
 
 There are at least 19 major wildfires burning across the western United States, including one of the largest blazes in the history of New Mexico.
– More than 11,000 Colorado residents—and tourists—have been ordered to evacuate as eight wildfires burn across the state, destroying homes and threatening popular sightseeing spots. Vacation cabins in Estes Park have already been destroyed and the main entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park has been closed. Smoke threatens the massive 102-year-old Stanley Hotel, inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining. Flames from the Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs were as high as 100 feet and moving up to a mile per hour, firefighters reported. The blaze has consumed some 2,500 acres. Nearly 250 homes and 130 square miles have been destroyed near Fort Collins in the High Park Fire, the state's second-largest and one of its costliest to fight, reports AP. "It's just shocking. It's really scary to see the smoke this close to home," said a resident who has lived in Manitou Springs for 20 years and had never before been evacuated. Hundreds of firefighters are fighting the blazes. The battle is expected to be massive at least until midweek due to hot, dry conditions and soaring temperatures. The fire season so far is the worst in a decade, said officials. "We just have to hope Mother Nature gives us a break," one firefighter told the Denver Post. At least 19 major wildfires are burning across the western US in Utah, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Montana and other states, reports the New York Times.