As the East Coast endures a brutal heat wave in the storms’ aftermath, residents of Colorado are beginning to return to charred communities hit by the worst wildfire in the state’s history. The Waldo Canyon Fire has burned nearly 350 homes and displaced tens of thousands of residents in Colorado Springs, the state’s second largest city. Firefighters say they finally have the blaze under control after eight days of unrelenting wildfire. The firefighting effort was initially hampered by record-high temperatures and by winds that fanned the flames. The extreme weather across the country continues a pattern that scientists and environmentalists have linked to global warming.