Soot-covered, weary firefighters continued battling a 20-mile-long blaze in Colorado's foothills, frustrated by rugged terrain but getting relief from cooler weather. Nearly 920 firefighters worked in shifts in smoke so thick it choked out the sun at times - mindful they might have to make a run for it at a moment's notice. At one point this week, 60- to 80-foot flames shot toward firefighter Joey Bryan of Hot Springs, Ark. "That's when you have to pull back to a safe place," he said. The wildfire, which grew nearly 100,000 acres, began Saturday in the Pike National Forest. It has destroyed at least 22 homes and forced extensive evacuations. About 5,400 people remained out of their homes.