UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
The unthinkable has happened. The Waldo Canyon Fire came roaring downhill into Colorado Springs at about 4:30 pm this afternoon. raycon and I are the only members I know of in town and he lives in Rockrimmon which is in the evacuation zone.
Please pray for us and for the firefighters who are up against something perhaps unprecedented in the country and almost certainly in Colorado. The conditions couldn't be worse. Dozens of homes are already on fire and large pieces of ash are falling on us on the east side of town. If anyone knows a rain dance...
Here's the local news feed if you can stomach it.
We've been busy the last couple hours preparing for evacuees. My uncle and two of his daughters and families are among the 32,000 people evacuated from their homes on the west side of Colorado Springs. My relatives were among those who had about ten minutes to get out. To say this fire is fast-moving is... the thunderstorm over Castle Rock which produced the winds causing the fire to scream into the Springs produced 65 mph wind gusts. This fire moves three miles in a flash according to the sheriff.
There are no barriers left to prevent this fire from burning up and down the Front Range. We've had 19% of our normal precipitation for two years running. There's so little moisture left in the atmosphere that even we longtime Coloradans are complaining of being thirsty all the time, as if the fire is taking moisture directly from our bodies.
There are over 800 firefighters from around the region on the scene. This isn't just a personal, local story anymore. The ramifications of the draw on resources regionally, on the economics all over the state, on the impact to the insurance industry... it may end up being the largest natural disaster this country has ever seen. Heaven forbid.
I'd post pictures, but they'd by lousy quality as the sunlight making it through the smoke cover is only serving to cast a sickening pall over the city. So dire are the circumstances -- the forested foothills aren't so much a natural feature as a fuel source -- that I caution you about what you pray for.
If storms develop over the area, the winds are likely to cause at least as many problems as the rain may solve. And the rains themselves may cause flooding now that much of the absorbent capacity of the terrain is damaged. My nearly unconscious prayer has been, Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. And the gratitude I feel for the men who put themselves on the line... it brings me to tears.
Wednesday 11:50 update: Woodland Park is now under mandatory evacuation orders effective immediately.
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Comments:
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Thoughts and prayers, WC and Raycon.
Oct '11
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Just terrible! I pray both your homes and families are safe.
Jun '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Absolutely I will pray, WC. My folks used to live there when Dad was stationed at Cheyenne Mountain. I've got family down in Pueblo. The loss of a home is devastating, no matter what form the disaster takes. Praying for all in harm's way.
Please be safe.
Edited on June 27, 2012 at 5:05amFeb '12
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
I'm praying for you guys. Stay safe. Be smart.
Aug '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
We're praying!
Is there any way people far away can be of practical assistance, too?
Jul '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
I don't know what, but
ask You shall receive from Us.
Edited on June 27, 2012 at 5:12amDec '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Midget Faded Rattlesnake: We're praying!
Is there any way people far away can be of practical assistance, too? · 4 minutes ago
You don't happen to have any extra fire trucks or tanker planes sitting around, do you?
They've called in reinforcements from north (Denver) and south (Pueblo). I imagine these crews are already on the scene. I can't tell you how horrifying it is to get your binoculars on the scene opposite my bedroom window and realize the flashing lights visible between the burning homes are manned by living breathing human beings fighting that inferno. It's terrifying and so, so sad.
Feb '12
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
A cycling mixture of disbelief, sadness and nausea watching my hometown endure this. I understand that the Flying W Ranch was destroyed today. It was the first place I ever earned a paycheck. I had also heard that Glen Eyrie is threatened, but currently remains intact. I am heartened that there has been no loss of life, and am praying that it remains that way.
May '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Praying!
Nov '11
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Praying as well!
Aug '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Western Chauvinist
Midget Faded Rattlesnake: We're praying!
Is there any way people far away can be of practical assistance, too?
You don't happen to have any extra fire trucks or tanker planes sitting around, do you?
No, fresh out.
But if a little silliness could possibly cheer you right now, I'll dance around in my pajamas while I'm praying and call it a rain dance.
Dec '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
I just heard that my uncle who lives on Mesa Road just south and east of Glen Eyrie is having to evacuate. He is a little south of the Garden of the Gods Club where I had my first job in Colorado! It's heart-wrenching. Of course, to lose Glen Eyrie would be worse than the club as it is historic.
I'm going to update the post shortly. Stay tuned.
Dec '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
The Air Force Academy has been evacuated.
Dec '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Yes, Flying W is gone. It opened in 1953. Pleasant Valley and Kissing Camels are under mandatory evacuation.
Roads are closed all over the area, so evacuees are taking twice as long to get across town as normal.
Jun '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Prayers and good thoughts on the way.
Dec '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Pikes Peak is an ominous shadow on the horizon this morning. But even worse, the mountains to the north are so obscured by smoke that it looks as if they've been erased. I can't distinguish sky from ground. It does not portend well for what the day will bring.
The incident command and staging area had to be moved from Holmes Middle School and Coronado High School to UCCS, as the previous site is now in the evacuation zone.
May '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Glad you're safe. You have my prayers as well.
Thanks for the updates. But don't let them distract you from any preparations you might make.
May '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
My prayers will be with you today, WC.
Oct '10
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
Just saw a more recent news report and the unimaginable devastation going on right now. Of course you're in our thoughts and prayers.
Re: UPDATED: Home Sweet... Inferno
This is all heartbreaking news. And it's frustrating to read about the destruction of my old stomping grounds while so far away.
So much beautiful history.
But I pray more than anything that people are safe as they evacuate. Please keep us updated.