Around the Nation

Colorado wildfires prompt evacuation

LAPORTE, Colo. — Rain drenched much of Colorado but missed large sections of an 8,700-acre wildfire that destroyed one home and prompted the evacuation of 140 others. Fire officials said the blaze was 30 percent contained yesterday, but 23 homes and 70 outbuildings were still considered threatened.

Firefighters benefited from higher humidity and lower temperatures, forecast to stay in the 40s. Fire officials said some areas of the fire west of Fort Collins in northern Colorado received significant amounts of moisture, while others remained dry.

Colorado, like much of the West, is stuck in a drought with little sign of relief.

2 medics killed in apparent ambush

EDWARDSVILLE, Kan. —An emergency medical technician and a paramedic were shot to death early yesterday in an apparent ambush, authorities said.

Authorities found the two medics — Tye Brown, 33, and Katherine Malone, 30 — dead at a fire station shortly after midnight, said ambulance company spokesman Eric Dooley. The pair, who lived together, had been shot multiple times, said Kansas City police Capt. John Cosgrove said.

Police obtained a murder warrant for Mrs. Malone’s ex-husband, Mathew Bass, 46, Capt. Cosgrove said. He said police also were investigating a suicide reported yesterday in nearby Lee’s Summit, Mo., and expected to know soon whether the person killed was Mr. Bass.

Mrs. Malone had obtained a protection order against her former husband, the captain said.

The pair of medics were the only people working overnight at the fire station in Edwardsville. Mr. Dooley said the pair had recently returned from a call when they were paged to respond to a new incident. When they failed to respond, and the dispatcher was unable to contact them by radio or telephone, authorities were sent to the fire station, where the bodies were found, Mr. Dooley said.

Pit bull fatally mauls 16-month-old boy

DETROIT — A pit bull fatally mauled a 16-month-old boy after his grandmother apparently placed the toddler on the floor to play with the dog yesterday morning, police said.

The dog bit off one of the grandmother’s fingers as she tried to stop the attack, Officer Glen Woods said. The woman, 54, was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Officer Woods said the case would be turned over to prosecutors to determine whether criminal charges will be brought. The dog was taken to animal control.

7 hurt in mishap on county fair ride

MIAMI — An amusement ride broke open and ejected some passengers at a county fair, injuring seven persons, including a teenage girl in critical condition. A piece of paneling came off “The Gravitron” while it was running late Friday, police said. The ride pins passengers against its perimeter with centrifugal forces.

Three passengers were hurtled into the fairgrounds from a breach that opened when the structure broke apart, officials said. It was not immediately clear how far they were thrown or how many passengers were on the ride.

A 16-year-old girl who suffered head and upper body injuries was in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Second man charged in shooting of trooper

COAL HILL, Ark. — Police arrested a second man yesterday in the shooting of a state trooper and continued the search for his missing neighbor, who they fear may be dead.

William J. Frazier, 28, was arrested on a rural highway, police officials said. He was jailed on charges of attempted capital murder and felony possession of a firearm. It was unclear whether bond had been set or whether Mr. Frazier had a lawyer. A sheriff’s employee said Mr. Frazier would not be allowed to comment.

Authorities had been searching for the suspect and Mark Holsombach, 49, in the Ozark Mountains and adjacent rural communities since March 22, the day a state trooper was wounded by gunfire.