LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A wildfire racing across tinder-dry canyons and mesas has driven 1,000 tourists from a national park in Colorado. Reporter Rosa Linda Roman of CNN's affiliate KOAT joins us now. She's got the latest live from Mesa Verde National Park -- Rosa Linda.</s>ROSA LINDA ROMAN, KOAT REPORTER: Well, Leon, the fire has kept crews very busy overnight in an area that's supposed to be known for rest and relaxation. If you take a look behind me, you can see the valley is completely enveloped in a cloud of smoke, and that is what they were up against earlier today, and last night as well. The fire began yesterday afternoon and quickly grew from 50 acres to about 500 acres. As a precaution, some 1,500 visitors were evacuated from the Mesa Verde National Park. Certainly a big disappointment for those vacationers who come out here to enjoy this area's natural beauty. So far, no structures have been destroyed and the only resource threatened right now is the Moorefield Campground. Of course, the biggest concern was protecting the ancient cliff-dwelling ruins which are mainly concentrated on the west side of the park. But fire officials tell me this morning that even though the fire did spread overnight, the ruins themselves are not in immediate danger. Still, they're not taking any chances. Some 500 firefighters and support personnel will be out here to tackle the blaze later today. In fact, the crews are already starting to head out. As for when it's going to be contained, they expected it later today, but it looks like that's just not going to happen. Reporting live from Mesa Verde National Park, Rosa Linda Roman. Back to you.</s>HARRIS: All right, thank you, Rosa Linda. We appreciate that report.
Wildfire Drives Some 1,500 Tourists From Mesa Verde National Park