Obama declares disaster in Colorado

Obama is set to tour the fire-affected areas later on Friday after making the announcement early in the day.

The president’s declaration releases much-needed federal disaster funds for local and state authorities battling the fires.

The Waldo Canyon Fire tore into the outskirts of the state’s second largest city, Colorado Springs, earlier this week.

So far, thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the affected areas in the western state. Nearly 350 homes have turned to dust by the Waldo Canyon blaze in Colorado Springs alone.

The wildfires along the Rocky Mountains have also torched some 7,400 hectares of land. But there have been no reports of deaths or injuries so far.

Nearly 9,000 American firefighters have been battling more than 40 major wildfires across the country. They are using 21 air tankers, more than 550 fire engines and 170 helicopters to battle the blaze.

But, so far only 10 percent of the fires in Colorado have been contained.

MSH/GHN/AZ

Views: 0

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes