CBS/AP/ June 29, 2012, 11:46 AM

Remains of 2nd person found in Colo.

Firefighters are seen from the motorcade as President Barack Obama tours the Mountain Shadow neighborhood devastated by raging wildfires, June 29, 2012, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Firefighters are seen from the motorcade as President Barack Obama tours the Mountain Shadow neighborhood devastated by raging wildfires, June 29, 2012, in Colorado Springs, Colo. / AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Updated 6:54 PM ET

(CBS/AP) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Searchers sifting through damage left by the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history have found the remains of a second person at a home where another person was found dead earlier.

Police Chief Pete Carey said Friday that searchers found the remains at a house where two people had been reported missing after shifting winds forced thousands to flee their homes Tuesday night.

Carey announced on Thursday finding the other person.

The Waldo Canyon Fire has destroyed nearly 350 homes and burned 26 square miles. Its cause hasn't been determined.

See below for the latest news on wildfires in other Western states.

More than 1,000 personnel and six helicopters were fighting the fire, which had cost at least $3.2 million to fight and was 15 percent contained as of Friday morning.

Police Chief Pete Carey said the remains of one person were found in a home where two people had been reported missing. He didn't elaborate or take questions after making the announcement late Thursday.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said two people have been arrested in connection with a burglary at an evacuated home.

President Barack Obama talks with firefighters as he tours the Mountain Shadow neighborhood devastated by wildfires, Friday, June 29, 2012, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

/ AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
President Barack Obama absorbed the devastation of Colorado's wildfires Friday, visiting a neighborhood struck by the flames and taking in the acrid smells of charred homes while plumes of smoke rose from the surrounding mountains.

After declaring a "major disaster" in the state early Friday and promising federal aid, Obama got a firsthand view of the fires and their toll on residential communities. More than 30,000 people have been evacuated in what is now the most destructive wildfire in state history.

Obama on Colorado wildfires: "Devastation is enormous"

"Whether it's fires in Colorado or flooding in the northern parts of Florida, when natural disasters like this hit, America comes together," Obama said after touring a neighborhood where the fire cut a path that left some homes standing while leveling surrounding properties. "We all recognize that there but for the grace of God go I. We've got to make sure that we have each others' backs."

Obama's appearance in Colorado took on added significance coming less than five months before the Nov. 6 presidential election. The state is a crucial swing state in the contest between Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, and the president's visit illustrated the enormous power of incumbency he enjoys to deliver not only assistance but to show compassion and command.

Stopping to greet firefighters and other first responders, Obama said: "The country is grateful for your work. The country's got your back."

The president's first view of the fires and the smoky mountains came as he flew into Colorado Springs aboard Air Force One.

His motorcade then weaved slowly through the neighborhood of Mountain Shadows, passing the wreckage of dozens of burned down homes.

He had special words for a group of firefighters who had just recently managed to save some houses in a subdivision attacked by the flames.

"They're genuine heroes," he said. He was accompanied by Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and members of the state's congressional delegation.

A fire in northern Colorado, which is still burning, destroyed 257 homes earlier this month, and until Thursday was the state's most destructive.

One dead in Colorado's most destructive wildfire

From above Colorado Springs, the destruction was painfully clear: Rows and rows of houses were reduced to smoldering ashes even as some homes just feet away survived largely intact.

Evacuees of the Waldo Canyon Fire spend time at the Cheyenne Mountain High School evacuation center as the wildfire continued to burn Wednesday, June 27, 2012, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

/ AP Photo/Bryan Oller
Community officials began the process of notifying residents Thursday that their homes were destroyed. The lists of more than 30 street names were posted at a local high school, listing those areas with heavy damage. Anxious residents scanned the sheets, but for many, the official notification was a formality. They recognized their street on aerial pictures and carefully scrutinize the images to determine the damage. Photos and video from The Associated Press and the Denver Post showed widespread damage.

John Sawyer came home from vacation in Atlanta, only to move into a hotel - his family was one of thousands evacuated as the fire spread.

"It's a lot of stress, and it's hard to sleep well, and you're not in your own house and your family's not all together," Sawyer told CBS News' Anna Werner. "We're trying to do normal lives, but you can't ...

"How are thousands, or hundreds of families going to find places to live, continue their work?" he wonders. "How will the schools function? There's a lot of questions ahead."

Sawyer's house is a half-mile from the fire line.

City of Colorado Springs: Latest fire info
Incident Information System (Latest data on wildfires)

Colorado Springs, the state's second-largest city, is home to the U.S. Olympic Training Center, NORAD and the Air Force Space Command, which operates military satellites. They were not threatened.

Hundreds of people sought refuge at area shelters operated by the Red Cross, including tourists who'd come to enjoy the Colorado summer.


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© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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ChrisG9909 says:
I live in colorado and we have a fire in our county, and i know that area of Colo Springs very well, i am very sad for those people, it is a tragic loss. The President had absolutely no business trying to grab the spotlight and get publicity, and cost us more money and resources to run his visit, we tried to ask him to stay away but he of course did not listen. I am sad to see his visit is still stealing the focus from the people who are the real victims of the tragedy and muddying the waters, as for his self aggrandizing words of praise, he knows nothing about the dangers and the efforts made by those real working people of the firefighters, and should just shut up and go away.
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Caitlin_CO says:
Honestly, I don't think I've ever been so angry at the comments from a story before. For the past 5 days I've lived within a half of a mile from the evacuation lines and have watched thousands of people be told that they have to leave. I have been watching around the clock news broadcasts about the Front Range burning before our eyes. This fire has burned over 16,000 acres and destroyed 347 homes and at least one life has been lost.

Before any of you comment, think about the people that have no where to go home to, have nothing left expect the clothes they are carrying and thankful just to be alive. I hope none of you ever have to deal with your house burning down or being evacuated to find out while your house stood empty for 5 days people came in and looted your personal belongings or broke into your car at the hotel you've been evacuated to.

Even better think of the 1,000 plus firefighters, military personnel and volunteers that are still battling this blaze and may not have a home to go to after the fire has been contained. They are risking their lives to protect our community.

Everyday I will be thankful that my family and I safe. I was glad to have a roof over my head and my bed to come home to at night before but now words can't describe how grateful I am.
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inletbeach says:
Natural disasters herald the end of the world. This is just a foretaste. When the San Andreas fault snaps millions will lose their homes, if not their lives. Tokyo is forecast for a tsunami and Japan may disappear under the Pacific Ocean Miami is also forecast for a tsunami. Much of the east coast may disappear under the Atlantic Ocean. Watch out for an eruption of Mt. Yellowstone, now dormant under a lake. Fire next time, not flood. Read your Bible.
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55minus5 replies:
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I don't need to read my Bible (I don't have any); that's enough to listen to people like you.
Bojax39 replies:
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by inletbeach: "Read your Bible."

Read your Darwin.....
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roadadf says:
Mr. Harrington was on vacation and is now stranded at a shelter with his suitcase? Did the highways burn up between Colorado Springs and Lake Charles? Does he enjoy hanging out in disaster areas when on vacation? What am I missing here? GO HOME, PRESTON!!

Investigative reporting ain't what it used to be.
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MegaProcrastination says:
It's devastating that so many people have lost their homes and no doubt family heirlooms, photos, etc., and I feel for them. However, this has me scratching my head:

"It's just really hard to have lost a lot of the memories connected to that, you know? They just burned,"

No, memories do not burn. Things burn but memories last as long as the brain can hold onto them. As hard as this is to go through, think of all the adventures and new memories just waiting to happen in finding a new place to live and getting that all settled. Life is a series of adventures, one after another. Some are horrifying, others simply unpleasant, some good and occasionally you get something fabulous. If it weren't for the bad things that happen in our lives we would have no gauge by which to measure the good.
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timseanc says:
I just hope the Stargate and SG1 are not in any danger.
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MegaProcrastination replies:
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I'd imagine they'll be just fine, being underground and all. ;)
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