HEAT

Colorado Fire Consumes 56K Acres

1,700 people fight wind-whipped blaze.

Winds and hot weather kept the High Park fire blazing Monday, even after flames have eaten through 56,000 acres in Colorado. Officials said the fire is 45 percent under control, but that 1,700 people continue to fight the blaze as it’s fed by high winds. “It just feels really dire. It’s scary,” Colorado resident Lupe Sandoval told local reporters. “You feel bad for everybody.” At least 181 homes have been licked up by the flames, and fire officials said that number will rise as a more thorough count is undertaken. “It will be some time before this fire is out, but our challenge now is to make sure we do everything to contain the damage,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.