Western wildfires drive residents from homes

Officials in southern Colorado have described a spreading blaze as a “tsunami of fire.” The Spring Creek wildfire has engulfed more than 100,000 acres, making it the third largest wildfire in the state’s history. It has damaged or destroyed more than 250 homes so far. Another fire about three hours west of Denver took an unexpected turn Thursday, forcing sudden evacuations around the town of Basalt. Firefighters continue to battle more than 60 large blazes throughout the drought-stricken West, including blazes in New Mexico, Northern California, Oregon, and Utah.