Hundreds of homes in the Santa Cruz region were damaged by flooding and wind. Weary residents are steeling themselves for even worse conditions this week.
The Mullen Fire, which has spread through more than 147,000 acres of Colorado and Wyoming forest in the past two weeks, reached the southern edge of the main drinking water source for Cheyenne, the Wyoming capital.
Experts are warning that existing water safety rules are not suitable to a world where wildfires destroy more residential areas than in the past. Those houses that burn are full of material that creates toxic residues and fumes, like plastic.
