By NATHAN KOPPEL

Matthew Jonas/Longmont Times-Call/Associated PressAn aircraft fought a fire from the air near Boulder, Colo., Tuesday.

Faced with another day of scorching heat, authorities in Colorado continued to battle wildfires Wednesday that destroyed hundreds of homes, forced more than 32,000 people to evacuate and encroached on some of the state's largest cities.

Wildfires near Colorado Springs intensify, forcing 32,000 people from their homes and the evacuation of the U.S. Air Force Academy.The Academy also issued a statement saying the military is preparing to dispatch up to 25 more helicopters to join the firefighting effort. Video Reuters

A fire raging in forest land near Colorado Springs has consumed more than 5,000 acres since it began Saturday, fueled by record temperatures, dry conditions, and high winds. Known as the Waldo Canyon Fire, it required the nearby U.S. Air Force Academy to close normal business operations Wednesday after earlier leading to some evacuations there.
The Red Cross said its shelters could accommodate less than 10% of the 32,000 people ordered to evacuate, but most people stayed with family and friends, the Associated Press reported. The agency opened four Colorado Springs shelters with a total capacity of about 2,500, Red Cross spokeswoman Patricia Billinger said.
"The Waldo Canyon fire has a lot of potential for a lot of threat to public safety," said Richard Homann, Fire Division Supervisor for the Colorado State Forest Service. He said it will be difficult to make headway Wednesday against the fire, which is only minimally contained. "The focus with the Waldo Fire is defensive—to make sure that people are gotten out of the way and to save homes."

R.J. Sangosti/The Denver Post/Associated PressFlames approached homes near the foothills of Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday.

Near Fort Collins, Colo. a separate blaze known as the High Park Fire is now raging for a third week. It already ranks among the worst in state history, destroying more than 250 homes and causing the death of a woman whose home was engulfed by flames soon after the fire began June 9.
Conditions have improved for personnel battling the High Park Fire, with the temperatures and winds expected to drop today.
"Our hope is that we can improve containment," said Kathy Messick, a spokeswoman with the Larimer County Sheriff's Department. But, she added, "we have hoped that before and all of a sudden Mother Nature comes up and the winds blows embers in another direction across fire lines and makes it almost impossible to contain."
At least three other wildfires are scorching parts of Colorado, which had relatively little snow this season, creating dry conditions that have made the state particularly susceptible to wildfires. About 3,000 firefighters and other personnel are battling the fires.
Some neighboring states also are suffering through a particularly brutal wildfire season.
In central Utah, authorities found one woman dead Tuesday when they returned to an evacuated area, marking the first casualty in a blaze that consumed at least two dozen homes, according to the AP. Sanpete County sheriff's officials said they hadn't identified the victim.
In New Mexico, one of the worst fires in state history has burned for weeks near the town of Ruidoso. Dubbed the Little Bear Fire, it has destroyed more than 250 buildings.
"We will not be able to totally control the fire until we get substantial rain and none is expected at the moment," said Karen Takai, a New Mexico-based fire information officer with the U.S. Forest Service. While some thunderstorms have blown through the state, she added, "they bring only lightning, which causes more havoc.
Due to abnormally hot and dry conditions, New Mexico this month imposed restrictions on smoking, campfires, and fireworks.
Write to Nathan Koppel at [email protected]