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Wildfires Char the West

Posted Jul 9, 07 5:39 PM CDT in US 

(Newser) – The wildfires sweeping the West continued to rage today, with showers reducing the intensity of some blazes as others spread unabated. In South Dakota, cooler temperatures and rain slowed flames that had burst out of a canyon, laying waste to 30 houses and killing a homeowner. Officials in Utah blamed a fatal weekend motorcycle accident on smoke from fires nearby.

Lightning and the ongoing heatwave combined to ignite many of the fires charring the landscape from California east, closing highways and driving people from their homes. Some regions saw showers today, but in Utah things keep heating up as crews battle the greatest fire in state history. "We're still looking at extreme fire danger," said a spokeswoman.

Source Associated Press

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An Orion slurry bomber lays down a line of protection for a home threatened by a wildfire between Rifle and Rulison, Colo., Friday evening, July 6, 2007. Officials reported three structures were destroyed...   (Associated Press)
A fire smolders on Sunday, July 8, 2007, near Hot Springs, S.D. A state official said the blaze is the most intense wildfire ever recorded in the Black Hills. (AP Photo/Joe Kafka)   (Associated Press)
Firefighters keep watch on a prescribed burn set to fight a wildfire in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Sunday, June 24, 2007. (AP Photo/Sacramento Bee, Autumn Cruz)   (Associated Press)
A firefighter is silhouetted by the light of a wildfire near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Sunday, June 24, 2007. (AP Photo/Sacramento Bee, Autumn Cruz)   (Associated Press)
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