Colorado Fires: Photos Of The Destroyed Waldo Canyon Homes And Surrounding Area

One week after the infamous fires that ravaged 17,600 acres of Colorado Springs, Colo., residents are slowly migrating back to the devastated area they once called home.

Having already claimed 346 homes, two lives and forcing 32,000 forced evacuations, the Colorado fires that once spanned close to 27 square miles are now reportedly 55 percent contained.

According to city official, Steve Cox, authorities are making consistent progress in making the area safer for residents, whose homes have been reduced to almost nothing.

We've had a great day, Cox said in an afternoon press conference on Sunday. We're going to open up many areas back to the citizens.

The decision to let thousands of once evacuated people back into their homes had been made at 8 p.m. MT (10 p.m. ET) on July 1.

CNN is reporting that some 3,000 residents are still being denied access to their respective areas, though Colorado Springs emergency management director Brett Waters noted that figure is 10 percent of the tally at the fire's peak.

We'd ask that (residents return) in an orderly fashion, Cox said. Our strategy will be that we continue to shrink that focus area down and down, and get people back in their homes as soon as we can.

Jerry Forte, the CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities, told the news outlet that all electricity has been restored in the areas where evacuees will be allowed back into their homes. In addition, dozens of technicians will hit those areas Monday, to relight pilot lights, turn on gas and make sure everything is safe within your homes, according to the utility executive.

While officials are doing everything in their power to look at the brighter side of things, residents are still in shock over what has taken place in the last seven days.

I've seen pictures, but it didn't really impact me the way it did, turning into my driveway, Susan Solich, an 18-year Colorado Springs resident, told CNN. My home was gone, it was imploded into the ground.

Authorities are still attempting to put the pieces together in an effort to find out the cause of what some are calling the worst wildfire in Colorado history.

Click Start to see photos of what is left from the Colorado Springs wildfire.