Colorado fire: 41140 acres burned, 1 dead - CNN

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgColorado's High Park Fire engulfs trees in flames near Fort Colliins on Monday, June 11. The sprawling wildfire has forced thousands of people to flee their homes in northern Colorado.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgA helicopter drops water on a hot spot burning close to homes on Monday near Laporte, Colorado.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgMichelle Mellenthin and Chris Huizenga watch firefighting efforts Monday from a Jeep near Laporte.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgFlames threaten houses on the eastern front of the High Park fire near Laporte on Sunday, June 10.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgRobby Wood, left, of Denver and his 16-year-old nephew, Jacob Wood, watch the thick smoke rise over a hill near Laporte.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgThe High Park Fire -- about 15 miles west of Fort Collins -- doubled in size overnight to 36,930 acres, or more than 57 square miles, authorities said Monday, June 11.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgAn orange-tinted sky looms over a small barn near Laporte on Sunday.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgThe fire is behaving erratically, fueled by by strong winds, low humidity, high temperatures and dry brush, an official says.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgA firefighting helicopter surveys the High Park Fire for hot spots Sunday near Laporte as the wind-driven blaze spreads.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgA satellite image from NASA shows a plume of smoke from the High Park Fire about 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins on Saturday, June 9. The fire is not an immediate threat to Fort Collins, but a smoky pall hangs over the city.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpgThe sprawling wildfire lights up the night sky Saturday in a photo from CNN iReporter Randy S. Macht taken in Louisville, Colorado, south of the blaze.

• The blaze is entirely uncontrolled, officials say
• At least 100 structures have been destroyed, sheriff says
• Woman "perished in the cabin she loved," family says

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(CNN) -- Firefighters were hoping to get control Tuesday of a fast-moving wildfire in northern Colorado that had scorched more than 41,000 acres, burned more than 100 structures and left one person dead.
The Red Cross, Humane Society and other aid groups mobilized to help the thousands of evacuees while at least 400 firefighters, aided by air tankers and helicopters from as far away as Canada battled the fire about 15 miles west of the city of Fort Collins.
Despite a furious fight, officials said early Tuesday the blaze was still entirely uncontrolled.
"The hope for containment today, I will tell you, is tenuous," incident commander Bill Hahnenberg said Monday.
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http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...story-body.jpgConditions improve in Colorado fire
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http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...story-body.jpgColorado wildfire burns out of control
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http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...story-body.jpgStruggling to contain Colorado wildfire
Flames jumped some 20 feet in the air and dry trees, brush and grass fueled the blaze. In the ashes of one home, authorities said they found the body of a 62-year-old woman Monday.
The woman was identified as Linda Steadman by family members.
"Linda Steadman, mother, grandmother, sister and wife perished in the cabin she loved," the family said in a written statement.
Photos: Northern Colorado fire rages on
Some 41,140 acres, or more than 64 square miles, had been burned, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said late Monday.
The fire had grown larger than Fort Collins, which is 47 square miles.
The fire was visible from the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins, where students and staff were told to move activities inside if possible. The university's Foothills campus was serving as command center for the firefighting efforts.
More than 100 structures had been damaged or destroyed, Sheriff Justin Smith said Monday.
First measured at two acres early Saturday, the High Park Fire has grown exponentially in the time since, including more than doubling in size Sunday and again overnight into Monday.
Some of those evacuated Monday could do nothing but watch as firefighters doused the dry, hilly terrain, hoping that their homes would be saved. Others, like Kyle Ellis, had sad stories.
Ellis' home had burned he told CNN affiliate KUSA, as he stood on a ridge line with others, watching.
He struggled to tell his young daughter, why the fire moved so quickly. Why they were homeless.
"Fire burns real fast. Real hot, real dry," he said and then stopped, kissed the young girl on the cheek and told her she would get a new home.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but authorities believe it may have been started by lightning.
CNN's Greg Morrison contributed to this report.

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