Cooler, less-windy weather has been credited with helping firefighters Thursday as they battle the 18,500-acre Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado which has already destroyed hundreds of homes and forced more than 35,000 people to evacuate their homes, Reuters reported.

Thursday marked the first time in five days where a red-flag warning has not been issued for the Colorado Springs area.

The turn in weather doesn't mean the fires will die down easily, however. The fire, which started Saturday, is still only five percent contained. Authorities have yet to release an official count on the number of homes lost but estimates range in the hundreds.

Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach visited Mountain Shadows, a neighborhood devastated by the wildfire.

"It looked like a nuclear weapon had been dropped," Bach said. "It's as close to hell as I could imagine."

Four people have died in wildfires in Colo. so far this year, which many consider to be the worst fire season in state history.

 

Read the story at the Washington Post.

Follow Neon Tommy's coverage of the Colorado wildfires.

Reach Executive Producer Dawn Megli here; follow her on Twitter here.