The number of homes destroyed by fire continued to rise Wednesday as hundreds of firefighters raced to corral a 41,000-acre grass fire in southern El Paso County ahead of another predicted gusty day. Of the 23 homes burned - up from 10 structures known to have been damaged Tuesday evening - seven were vacant, El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder said Wednesday evening at a briefing on the 117 fire, named for the mile marker along Interstate 25 where it is believed to have started. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported, although 16 families are now homeless, Elder said.