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Neighboring States Pledge Help Against Colorado Wildfires

DENVER (CBS4/AP)- Wyoming and Utah are sending resources to Colorado to help with the wildfires burning in the state.

Gov. Gary Herbert is sending the Utah National Guard to help fight raging wildfires in Colorado Springs.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead says the state is ready to send firefighting resources to help Colorado.

The Black Forest Fire burning north of Colorado Springs destroyed about 380 homes and killed two people and other fires are burning elsewhere in the state.

Mead says he told Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday morning that Wyoming is ready to help however it can.

Mead's office says it expects Hickenlooper will send a formal letter on Friday requesting specific firefighting resources from Wyoming.

Wyoming recently sent a strike team of firefighters to New Mexico, which is also experiencing large wildfires. Several Wyoming firefighters already have been serving on incident management teams assigned to Colorado fires.

Herbert made the announcement at Friday morning news conference. Utah will send two helicopters and several crews starting Saturday. Two people have been killed and 379 homes destroyed in the Colorado Springs wildfire.

He also urged Utah residents to use caution as Utah enters its fire season. His news conference came after a series of scattered fires broke out in southeast Utah on Thursday night after a dry lightning storm passed through the area.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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