(CNN) -- Sad. Helpless. Shaken. That's how Morgan Pace felt as she drove past a large plume of smoke near her home in Monument, Colorado, which is about 20 miles north of Colorado Springs. It wasn't an isolated fire, but a large and growing conflagration that has spurred thousands to flee their homes. "It was just surreal," said Pace, a CNN iReporter. Fear and anxiety were common Wednesday in much of central Colorado thanks not just to one, but two major wildfires that have threatened lives and property. Pace, a 38-year-old mother of four, is among tens of thousands affected directly and indirectly by the Black Forest Fire.
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NEW: One of the highest bridges in world still standing, park spokeswoman says
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Evacuation orders issued for about 9,000 people over 55 square miles
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"My family is scared and trying to remain calm," a Colorado mother says
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The Royal Gorge Fire southwest of Colorado Springs also isn't contained
Royal Gorge Fire
"@placeholder severity is extreme as reported in multiple areas," the state office of emergency management said, "and fires are escaping initial attack, as evident by the number of large fires."