Some 32,000 people in the state of Colorado have been forced to flee their homes after ferocious wildfires took hold. The fires have swallowed up hundreds of homes at the edge of the Springs area and the US Air Force Academy are now co-ordinating the evacuations.

These are the scenes of devastation from the air; the community of Mountain Shadows in the northwest is the area that's taken the brunt as the orange glow of flames sweep across the area, throwing ash and the thick smell of smoke into the blackened air. Around 29 large active wildfires are being fought in the area according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Colorado Springs Fire Chief, Rich Brown said "This is a fire storm of epic proportions. We're being watched across the country on how we handle it. It's absolutely important that we understand that right now as we sit here, we have a ton of people, firefighters, from the county, the city , the state and the feds, all of us, arm in arm, putting this thing out as we speak."

The local governor came out with the Mayor to assess the situation as the wind keeps blowing the swept over what were containment lines into the second-most populated city. He remarked on how 'surreal' the landscape looked.

Written & Presented Marverine Cole.