Colorado blaze too dangerous to assess damage

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A towering Colorado wildfire destroyed dozens of houses overnight, though the intensity of the blaze kept officials Wednesday from being able to fully assess the damage to the state's second-largest city.

The fire, which doubled in size overnight to about 24 square miles, has forced mandatory evacuations for more than 32,000 residents, Colorado Springs emergency management director Brett Waters said. Among those urgently evacuated Tuesday evening were residents at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Motorists stop to take photographs along the southb...