Calls Show Residents Panicked Over Colorado Wildfire

A man who was found dead in his burned home was among the confused and panicked residents who called Colorado authorities as a wildfire raged near them.

Police tapes obtained by KMGH-TV show that Sam Lucas expressed surprise after responders told him the fire was a controlled burn, despite winds that reached 80 mph. Lucas and his wife were found dead at their home last week.

Another resident urged authorities to rescue a woman who apparently died in the fire. A friend of Ann Appel was concerned for her safety because she was being treated for cancer.

The Colorado State Forest Service has accepted responsibility for the fire, which charred 6 square miles in a mostly rural, mountainous area southwest of Denver.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire