By Ed Payne, Phil Gast and Moni Basu, CNN
(CNN) — Calmer winds and lower temperatures Thursday could help firefighters battle a blaze that has devoured more than 18,000 acres and chased 36,000 people from their homes in Colorado Springs.
But the Waldo Canyon Fire is only 5% contained, and it could be mid-July before it is fully under control, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Still, Thursday brought some respite to crews that have been stymied by erratic winds fueling the flames.
Incident commander Rich Harvey said he expected a much larger percentage of the fire contained by the end of Thursday.
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