Yusuf Alli – Cii News & Agencies, Pic: AP/Darrell Spangle – June 28, 2012

Panic and turmoil has struck the United States city of Colorado Springs after after evacuation orders were issued to 32 000 residents as a wildfire overwhelmed firefighters perimeter lines and destroyed a number of homes.

A US Air Force Academy based in the city was also issued orders to evacuate when the Waldo canyon fire, which became the firefighters main priority, spewed heavy smoke and ash from the foothills west of the city.

After flying over the fire, governor John Hickenlooper said “It’s almost surreal… It was like looking at the worst movie set you could imagine.”

Retreating civilians had to cover their faces with T-shirts and bandanas to avoid smoke inhalation

Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana were under red flag warnings, which means extreme fire danger.

The fires have been ongoing for days, seeing firefighters work with record setting temperatures while the nation is experiencing “a super-heated spike on top of a decades-long warming trend,” according to Derek Arndt, head of climate monitoring at the national climate data centre.

The cause of the Waldo Canyon fire remained under investigation.