Six Dead, Thousands Evacuated After Strong Winds Fan Wildfires in Four Plains States

Destructive wildfires broke out in the Plains on Monday and grew quickly in size, forcing thousands to evacuate and contributing to the deaths of six people.  The fires were fanned by strong winds on the western side of the same storm system that spawned an outbreak of severe storms in the Midwest. Crews battling the blazes may get a bit of a break as winds are forecast to die down to about 10 to 20 mph Wednesday.  "These conditions will make it somewhat easier for firefighting efforts, but far from perfect," Storm Prediction Center forecast operations chief Bill Bunting told the Associated Press. "The fires still will be moving. The ideal situation is that it would turn cold and rain and, unfortunately, that's not going to happen."  Parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and the Texas Panhandle were the hardest hit by the wildfires, which were so intense and large that they could be spotted by satellites.