COLORADO SPRINGS  - US President Barack Obama declared wildfires in Colorado a “major disaster” before flying out to the western state on Friday to tour the damage for himself. Crews were searching for human remains in the ashes of homes destroyed by the Waldo Canyon Fire, which blazed into the outskirts of the state’s second largest city Colorado Springs earlier this week. The inferno destroyed at least 346 houses, forced some 36,000 residents to evacuate, and left at least one person dead, according to officials. It is still threatening some 20,000 homes and 160 commercial buildings. Ahead of his visit, Obama issued a disaster declaration that releases federal emergency funds. During the tour, the president will meet first responders and firefighters who are battling blazes across the state. Late Thursday, Colorado Springs police chief Peter Carey announced the first casualty of the blaze, saying a body had been found in a burned-out house and that another person was missing at the same address. Police spokeswoman Barbara Miller said the pair was believed to be husband and wife.