Story highlights
NEW: At least three other significant wildfires are burning around Colorado
Firefighters are "optimistic" after making inroads battling Black Forest Fire in central Colorado
An official estimates 45% containment, up from 5% the previous morning
473 structures have been destroyed, 17 partially damaged and two people have died
The firefighters are on the offensive.
Over several hellish days, the Black Forest Fire singed more than 15,000 acres north of Colorado Springs. What’s left behind, in some areas, “looks like a nuclear bomb went off,” according to El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa.
Then came some rain, more clouds, less wind and – very much related to all of that – marked progress Friday. That continued into Saturday, as defined by a few simple measures: no more structures destroyed, no more area burned and more inroads corralling what’s left.
“Today, we’re optimistic,” said Rich Harvey, the federal incident commander overseeing the fight.
Then, as if addressing the fire itself, he added, “We’re ready for it … Show yourself, we’ll be there to fight right back.”
In the first few days after the Black Forest Fire broke out, crews had zero containment on the blaze as it ravaged woods and neighborhoods. County spokesman Dave Rose told CNN it appeared to be the most destructive in the history of Colorado, a state that’s all too familiar with devastating wildfires.
Residents hope for best, brace for worst
As of Monday, authorities had counted 502 structures lost to the blaze, which started Tuesday, according to the sheriff’s department. Two people had died.
The speed and intensity of the flames created a pattern where, for the most part, homes either were destroyed or escaped unscathed, Maketa explained over the weekend.
In some areas, he said, there’s no house, no mailbox and virtually no other signs that someone lived there just a few days ago.
Gallery: Wildfire photographer Kari Greer goes inside the inferno
“You can’t even recognize where there was a house or some other kind of structure,” the sheriff said Saturday. “That is the level of incineration and destruction that took place in some areas.”
But things changed for the better Friday. In the morning, the blaze was 5% contained. By evening, it was 30%.
That pivotal number continued to improve through midday Saturday, when Harvey said there was 45% containment.
Video shows firefighters fending off fire from house’s deck
Not just that, but authorities are noticing fewer hotspots and fewer flare-ups than they have in days. All of it is positive news, even as Harvey warns that there’s still material sitting on the ground, waiting to be burned, if conditions suddenly change or firefighters let down their guard.
The prospect of progress is all the more appreciated, given the other wildfires still burning in Colorado.
The Royal Gorge Fire, southwest of Colorado Springs, was 40% contained after a week in which it scorched more than 3,200 acres – including a beloved carousel and at least 20 buildings, according to Gov. John Hickenlooper.
“It’s burned to a cinder,” he said Friday of the area.
Video shows firefighters fending off fire from house’s deck
The latest flare-up is the Ward Gulch Fire in the western part of the state. No structures have been reported destroyed in that blaze, but gusty winds, low humidity and warm weather have firefighters on edge.
While all those fires pose dangers in their own ways, the Black Forest Fire is still by far the biggest and the most dangerous, which is why thousands in that area remain evacuated, their homes in areas where it is too perilous to return.
“It’s been a pretty good emotional roller coaster,” said Chris Schroeder, one of those who live in the Black Forest Fire evacuation zone and now has little to do except hope and wait.
Woman records wildfire evacuation
Getting him and others off of that wild ride, by saving their homes, remains the primary mission of those on the front lines of the blaze.
More than 1,000 personnel – more than at any point this week – were part of the firefighting effort Saturday. They included boots on the ground, as well as helicopters and tankers overhead.
Said Maketa over the weekend: “We’re hoping to gain inches each day to get people’s lives back to normal, where it can be returned to normal.”
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CNN’s George Howell reported from Colorado Springs, and Greg Botelho wrote in Atlanta.