1 dead, 436 homes lost in Colo wildfire

A body was found and 436 homes were destroyed in a wildfire that moved into western neighborhoods of Colorado Springs, officials said. President Barack Obama was to visit the area of the Waldo Canyon fire Friday. Colorado Springs Fire Chief Pete Carey said human remains were found in the rubble from a burned home, The Denver Post reported. Police said 10 people were unaccounted-for and authorities were trying to locate them through family and friends, the Post reported. Residents of nearly three dozen streets in the city's Mountain Shadows neighborhood learned which homes survived and which did not during a meeting at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted Thursday night for some neighborhoods. "This community is going to mount an unprecedented response to [the emergency]," Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach told the Post before the meeting. U.S. Air Force Academy officials said evacuated residents would be allowed to return home Friday. An estimated 32,500 people were evacuated in and around Colorado Springs. Firefighting officials said Thursday was a good day because temperatures were cooler and some rain fell over the 16,750-acre fire that was about 15 percent contained. The fire had been burning west of Colorado Springs since Saturday. Bach said he didn't agree with former Gov. Bill Owens' comments that Obama's visit to Colorado Springs to survey the damage and meet responders would be distracting and is "ill-advised." "I really appreciate the president coming here," Bach said. "And I do plan to ask for cash." Obama spoke with Bach and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper by phone Wednesday, telling them his administration's focus was on "continuing to bring all resources to bear to assist local responders in Colorado and a number of Western states currently being impacted by fires," the White House said in summarizing the call. The Waldo Canyon fire is one of eight major fires burning in Colorado. Its cause is not known, and the FBI has joined the investigation. Other states with major wildfires are Alaska, Arizona, California, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.