A wildfire rages near residential areas outside of Colorado Springs on Tuesday - forcing almost five thousand people from their homes.
The Waldo Canyon fire - has burned an estimated 4000 acres of land - close to the foot of the mountain - Pikes Peak - a popular tourist destination.
As smoke reached nearly 20,000 feet, firefighters battled to try to contain the blaze from the air and on land.
Colorado Springs Fire Chief Randy Royal.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) COLORADO SPRINGS FIRE CHIEF RANDY ROYAL, SAYING:
"We haven't had any moisture for a long time. The hundred degree temperatures that we have are record temperatures for the Colorado Springs area. So all those coming together are kind of the perfect storm to make this a bad, bad fire."
Crews have established a containment barrier around only about five percent of the fire.
No casualties or destroyed properties have been reported and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.
The fire is one of about a dozen wildfires burning in Colorado.
Sarah Irwin, Reuters.
