PINE JUNCTION, Colo. - Five air tankers resumed an all-out attack on a 4,500-acre wildfire in the foothills Tuesday evening while 430 firefighters used picks, axes and shovels to dig firebreaks.
The wind-whipped Hi Meadow Fire raced through tinder-dry pine trees and brush for a second day Tuesday about 35 miles southwest of Denver.
''It's torching and running and spotting and burning ahead of itself,'' said Steve Hart, a commander with the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team.
After an inspection from the air Tuesday evening, officials said 29 houses scattered throughout several subdivisions had been destroyed. Earlier Tuesday, officials said at least 39 houses had been destroyed.
The fire grew by at least 1,000 acres Tuesday. ''This thing is just kicking our butts, and you can't do anything when it blows up. We just have to back off to a safe distance,'' said Shane DeGrosso, a fire behavior analyst with the incident management team.
After nightfall, crews were pulled off the fire lines. Other crews on fire trucks protected houses by clearing away flammable landscaping and hosing down buildings. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity dampened the fire, but officials expected it to flare up again Wednesday.
About 90 miles north of that fire, the Bobcat Fire grew to nearly 5,000 acres and destroyed five structures west of Loveland. The blaze, which started Monday, was also burning in dry brush and trees on mountainous terrain.
Crews on Tuesday ordered 10 more helicopters and six tankers to help battle the Hi Meadow blaze. Several hundred more firefighters were expected at the scene over the next few days, including 20 additional ''hot shot'' firefighting teams from California, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming.
Three firefighters suffered minor burns and their truck was severely damaged Tuesday when the fire advanced faster than expected, said Lynn Barclay of the incident management team. Their names were not released.
A volunteer firefighter en route to one of the fires was seriously injured in a crash in Boulder County Tuesday night, KWGN-TV reported.
About 300 people remained out of their homes in the Pine Junction area, a mix of expensive second homes and modest frame and modular houses owned by people who work in Denver. More evacuations were ordered Tuesday evening.
Gov. Bill Owens declared an emergency, making Larimer, Jefferson and Park counties eligible for state money and putting the National Guard on alert.
Rick and Mary Sousa and their daughter, Kelly, 8, stuffed two cars with belongings and left their home near Bailey on Monday. They were among the few families told they could return Tuesday, but the Sousas didn't intend to unpack.
''As fast as that fire moved up the ridge yesterday, one change in the wind direction and we'll have to get out of here,'' Rick Sousa said he stood on a ridge overlooking his home, watching the fire smolder.
Just before noon, gusts up to 40 mph grounded planes dropping fire retardant. By evening, the planes were back in the air. ''They're going to hit it real hard,'' said Barb Perkins, a spokeswoman for the incident management team.
Wind gusts also complicated firefighting at the Bobcat Fire west of Loveland. Authorities said the blaze was still spreading Tuesday evening.
''It's going to be a long battle,'' said Justin Dombrowski, a spokesman for the fire management team. ''It's not going to go out anytime soon.''
Fire spots fanned by wind were seen as far as one mile in advance of the main blaze Tuesday evening, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Paula Guenther-Gloss.
Firefighters concentrated on protecting about 250 homes amid stands of ponderosa pine and fir trees. Some 420 people were forced out of their homes by nightfall.
About 200 firefighters battled the Bobcat Fire Tuesday and the fire management team asked for 20 more hand crews, 20 more fire engines and additional helicopters to battle the blaze. No injuries were reported.
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov
Rocky Mountain Area Coordinating Group: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/rmcghome.htm
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