Colorado Springs , Colorado ( CNN ) -- The firefighters are on the offensive . Over several hellish days , the Black Forest Fire singed more than 15,000 acres north of Colorado Springs . What 's left behind , in some areas , `` looks like a nuclear bomb went off , '' according to El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa . Then came some rain , more clouds , less wind and -- very much related to all of that -- marked progress Friday . That continued into Saturday , as defined by a few simple measures : no more structures destroyed , no more area burned and more inroads corralling what 's left . `` Today , we 're optimistic , '' said Rich Harvey , the federal incident commander overseeing the fight . Then , as if addressing the fire itself , he added , `` We 're ready for it ... Show yourself , we 'll be there to fight right back . '' In the first few days after the first broke out , for still unexplained reasons , crews had zero containment on the Black Forest Fire as it ravaged woods and neighborhoods . County spokesman Dave Rose told CNN it appeared to be the most destructive in the history of Colorado -- a state that 's all too familiar with devastating wildfires . Residents hope for best , brace for worst . As of Saturday afternoon , authorities had counted 473 structures totally lost due to the four-day-old blaze , with another 17 partially damaged . Two people had died . The reason for that mix -- why , for the most part , homes were either destroyed or escaped unscathed -- was the speed and intensity of the flames , Maketa explained Saturday . In some areas , there 's no number on the house , no mailbox and next-to-no other signs that someone had lived there , just a few days ago . Gallery : Wildfire photographer Kari Greer goes inside the inferno . `` You ca n't even recognize where there was a house or some other kind of structure , '' the sheriff said . `` That is the level of incineration and destruction that took place in some areas . '' But things changed for the better Friday . In the morning , the blaze was 5 % contained . By evening , it was 30 % . That pivotal number continued to improve through midday Saturday , when Harvey said there was 45 % containment . Video shows firefighters fending off fire from house 's deck . Not just that , but authorities are noticing fewer hotspots and fewer flare-ups than they have in days . All of it is positive news , even as Harvey warns that there 's still material sitting on the ground , waiting to be burned , if conditions suddenly change or firefighters let down their guard . The prospect of progress is all the more appreciated , given the other wildfires still burning in Colorado . The Royal Gorge Fire , southwest of Colorado Springs , was 40 % contained after a week in which it scorched more than 3,200 acres -- including a beloved carousel and at least 20 buildings , according to Gov . John Hickenlooper . `` It 's burned to a cinder , '' he said Friday of the area . The governor has declared a disaster emergency in Rocky Mountain National Park , northwest of Denver , due to the Big Meadows Fire that 's burned hundreds of acres there . The latest flare-up is the Ward Gulch Fire in the western part of the state . No structures are reported destroyed yet in that blaze , but gusty winds , low humidity and warm temperatures have firefighters on edge . While all those fires pose dangers in their own ways , the Black Forest Fire is still by far the biggest and the most dangerous -- which is why thousands in that area remain evacuated , because their homes remain in areas where it is too perilous to return . `` It 's been a pretty good emotional roller coaster , '' said Chris Schroeder , one of those who live in the Black Forest Fire evacuation zone and now has little to do except hope and wait . Woman records wildfire evacuation . Getting him and others off of that wild ride , by saving their homes , remains the primary mission of those on the front lines of the blaze . More than 1,000 personnel -- more than at any point this week -- were part of the firefighting effort Saturday . They included boots on the ground , as well as helicopters and tankers overhead . Said Maketa : `` We 're hoping to gain inches each day to get people 's lives back to normal , where it can be returned to normal . '' Study warns of continued wildfires in western U.S. CNN 's George Howell reported from Colorado Springs , and Greg Botelho wrote in Atlanta .
NEW : At least three other significant wildfires are burning around Colorado . Firefighters are `` optimistic '' after making inroads battling Black Forest Fire in central Colorado . An official estimates 45 % containment , up from 5 % the previous morning . 473 structures have been destroyed , 17 partially damaged and two people have died .