Firefighters were hoping rain and snow Wednesday would help them quell blazes that scorched thousands of acres, forced hundreds of residents to evacuate and left three people dead. Winds gusted up to 50 mph along the Rocky Mountain Front Range and eastern plains on Tuesday, fanning flames that quickly spread across 7,100 acres -- or 11 square miles -- of grassland near Ordway. Authorities told all 1,200 residents to leave.By late Tuesday, firefighters had contained 50 percent of the blaze, which damaged at least 20 buildings, four within town limits, fire information officer Chris Sorensen said.
Officials said two people died in the fire, though they didn't immediately release details.
A firefighting plane crashed near Fort Carson, killing the pilot, who was battling a blaze that scorched 9,000 acres -- about 14 square miles -- and forced the evacuation of people living near the base.
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