Residents of southern Colorado watched as flames chewed through thousands of acres of dry brush and trees Tuesday. Late Tuesday night, emergency crews continued to monitor the situation.

Billowing smoke and marching flames devoured ground that's simply too dry. In minutes, the blaze exploded into a wall of intense head about 100 yards from Ben Herman's property.

"At times like this there's not time to think, you just react," Herman said.

Herman moved about 15 of his horses to a safe distance. His main defense was about 40 yards of asphalt, making up Highway 115. It was the only thing between his land and the swirling flames.

"Things happen so fast. You hope for the best and move on," he said.

Crews got lost in the smoke as others could only watch and hope the fire didn't jump the highway. By late afternoon it was safe to fly for the first time, but not safe enough. One plane hired by the forest service to help went down, killing the pilot.

"We're bringing in more crews, more teams," said Commander Jim Reid. "The goal is to hit this thing hot and heavy before the winds kick up."

As the sun began to set on the ongoing fight Tuesday night, residents like SFC Roosevelt Lane couldn't make it home on a highway closed to all traffic.

"I just got back from Iraq," Lane said. "It's kind of hard getting back and now this is going on."

His family is safe, and until fighters can give the all clear, those stuck outside the fire can only watch from a safe distance.