Hundreds of Colorado Springs homes destroyed in fire

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Hundreds of homes in Colorado Springs have been destroyed amid an outbreak of wildfires that are raging across western US states.

About 346 homes were razed this week, making it the most destructive fire in the state's history, officials said.

More than 32,000 people have already fled Colorado's second biggest city after evacuation orders were issued.

Shifting winds on Thursday made it difficult for about 800 firefighters to tackle the 29 sq mile (75sq km) blaze.

President Barack Obama is due to tour the affected areas on Friday.

Colorado accounts for eight of 35 large wildfires which are also raging in Montana, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and California.

In Utah, a body was found in the ashes of a fast-moving wildfire to the south of Salt Lake City.

On Wednesday, traffic and smoke choked the streets as people left Colorado Springs and a nearby US Air Force Academy.

The Waldo Canyon Fire, which began on Saturday, was fanned towards Colorado Springs by winds of up to 65mph (104km/h).

The city of 419,000 people is Colorado's second largest, situated just off the main north-south highway.

It is home to the sprawling campus of the US Air Force Academy, the top school for cadets joining the Air Force.

On Wednesday afternoon, academy officials said the fire had spread to about 10 acres of the campus. Some 2,100 people were evacuated from base housing overnight.

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