Colorado Springs Fire: 35,000 Flee Home, Epic Battle to Douse the Waldo Fire [PHOTOS]

The Waldo Canyan fire continues to rage forcing nearly 35,000 people flee their homes as the fire fighters continue an epic battle to contain the blaze.

The inferno is out of control for the fifth day and only 5 percent of the conflagration has been contained so far, according to reports.

The blaze is "not even remotely close to being contained," said Colorado Springs Fire Chief Rich Brown, according to Reuters.

President Barack Obama is expected to visit the area on Friday, according to the White House.

The "monster" fire encroached upon the fire fighter's boundary lines and gutted dozens of homes, though no precise assessment of the damage has yet been made.

"We've started the process of identifying the structures, but we haven't completed the inventory. There's still active fire in there," Reuters quoted fire information officer Greg Heule as saying.

Heavy smoke and raging blaze prompted the authorities to evacuate thousands of people in the area including the US Air Force Academy. Over 2,100 residents including civilian and military personnel and their families were evacuated from the academy.

The fire doubled in size overnight and spread to more than 24 square miles (62 square kilometres) on Wednesday itself.

"It was like looking at the worst movie set you could imagine. It's almost surreal," the Associated Press quoted Gov John Hickenlooper as saying after flying over the fire late Tuesday.

Red flag warnings have been issued to most of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana suggesting extreme fire danger.

A woman was found dead in central Utah on Tuesday marking the first casualty of the raging blaze.

Thunderstorms and gusty winds are hampering the firefighting efforts. The cause of the Waldo Canyon fire remained under investigation.

Take a look at the Waldo Canyan Fire: