(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYING:<br/> <br />"Hello everybody. I'm here in Colorado Springs, visiting some of the devastating fires that have been taking place over the last several days."<br/> <br />An unusual weekly address from President Barack Obama from the fire-ravaged state of Colorado.<br/> <br />The president, who had been given an Air Force One fly-over of the devastated area said firefighters were working round the clock to contain the blaze and pledged continued support for the state.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYING:<br/> <br />"We've been engaging in some unprecedented coordination between federal, state, and local communities to try to bring this fire under control."<br/> <br />The so-called Waldo Canyon fire - one of Colorado's worst-ever wildfires - has been raging for a week.<br/> <br />By Friday, it had scorched around 17,000 acres of timber and brush, much of it in the Pike National Forest west of Colorado Springs.<br/> <br />Lighter winds recently have helped more than 1,000 firefighters currently trying to corral the flames.<br/> <br />The fire is just one of around 50 large uncontained wildfires currently being fought across the United States.<br/> <br />Sunita Rappai Reuters
