Waldo Canyon Fire - Colorado Wildfire

[The Stig]

Original story at Denver Post

Colorado wildfire: Aerial photo shows about 300 homes destroyed in Waldo Canyon Fire
Tens of thousands remain homeless
Posted: 06/27/2012 10:25:32 PM MDT
Updated: 06/28/2012 01:07:15 PM MDT
By Jeremy P. Meyer and Sara Burnett
The Denver Post

Tens of thousands of people remained homeless in Colorado Springs on Wednesday, fixated on the smoky hills as the weather helped slow a Waldo Canyon fire that left a stunning path of destruction in its wake. An aerial photograph of the Mountain Shadows neighborhood that was taken Wednesday showed approximately 300 homes, all of them inside the Colorado Springs city limits, reduced to charred rubble. Colorado Springs authorities would not confirm exact numbers, saying they were still making assessments and devising a way to convey the information to affected homeowners.

One of the destroyed homes belonged to Ted Stefani and his wife, Kate. He learned its fate when he picked up The Denver Post on Wednesday. There, in the lower left corner of a front page photograph was his five-bedroom home, obscured by trees and fully engulfed in flames.

"It's a good and bad thing," he said. "It's bad, because our house is gone.

"But at least we know."

The blaze, one of nine major wildfires burning in Colorado, continued to attract national attention Wednesday. The White House announced that President Barack Obama would visit the area Friday, when he is expected to tour the damaged neighborhoods and thank firefighters.

The blaze's cause was not known Wednesday, and the FBI joined the investigation, which was in its earliest stages.

The four-day-old fire that had grown to 18,500 acres smoldered throughout Wednesday, but cloud cover and shade from the smoke kept ground temperatures cooler than on previous days.

Firefighters had a containment line around about 5 percent of the burned area.

Late-afternoon winds fed by a nearby thunderstorm sent firefighters running for safety in the hillside neighborhoods they were protecting. But those gusts, which reached at least 20 mph, did not blow the fire into anything like the catastrophic event that terrorized the city Tuesday.

"There was smoldering going on up and down that ridge," said Charlie Drennan, division chief of operations for the Denver Fire Department, one of 13 fire departments from around the region that were helping out on the fire.

Drennan's engine crew worked all night and day protecting homes in the Peregrine subdivision — hoses plugged into fire hydrants, snuffing out flare-ups and watching the wind.

Anxious homeowners who had been ushered out of their homes the day before sat in their cars in a parking lot east of Interstate 25 with a view of their neighborhood, watching as smoke billowed and trees caught fire around it and listening to emergency-radio traffic on a scanner.

"I'm just hoping nobody dies," said Seth Grotelueschen, listening as a Denver engine company protecting his home was ordered to leave in the face of a wall of flames.

About 32,000 people remained out of their homes Wednesday, and new evacuations were ordered in Teller County. Several neighborhoods in El Paso County were placed on pre-evacuation orders as fire managers closely watched the forecast.

Sandra Fales wiped away tears Wednesday morning as she pulled clothes for her three children from the trunk of her car. She and her children spent the night at the Red Cross shelter at the Southeast YMCA .

After watching the fire for hours, Fales was ordered to evacuate around 11 p.m. Tuesday.

"I watched it roll down the hill as it took out everything," Fales said. "The flames just took it all out."

In a neighborhood
north of the Air Force Academy, families raced to pack up their cars afternoon after hearing that they should be prepared to flee.

The fire was still about 5 miles away, but the wind was blowing north.

"I'm just taking anything that is irreplaceable, photos, baby books," said Julie Gwisdalla as she loaded her SUV. "It's pretty scary to think your home is going to burn up."

For Stefani, an Army surgeon who returned from Afghanistan a month ago, the loss of his home came after a horrific time in which he fled the flames.

He was watching a televised news conference Tuesday about the fire when he noticed leaves rustling in the wind. He walked up the street to get a view of the mountain behind his home and saw flames a mile away and moving fast.

With his wife and son in Denver, he rushed back to get their dog and pack some essential items: the title to their car, computer hard drives, birth certificates, some of his items from Iraq and Afghanistan, a baby blanket and clothes.

Embers and ash began falling and thick smoke covered the driveway. While he packed, his wife called.

"I can't talk," he said. "I need to load the car."

His brief and rushed tone worried her.

"I don't scare easily," he said. "My wife knows that. I was in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I saw a lot of trauma there. But I sounded rattled."

On Tuesday night, the enormity of what had happened to him and his wife hit hard. They had to go and buy copies of the two books they read to their son each night, "Goodnight Moon" and "Pat the Bunny."

And they had to replace his favorite teddy bear that makes a noise when it's squeezed.

When their son squeezed the bear's belly and they heard that familiar sound, "that was pretty emotional. We both cried."

He said he feels lucky because he has insurance and an Army community that cares about him and his family. They are now looking for a new place to live and hope to lease something within a week.

"Then, it's starting over from scratch."

Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com

Denver Post staff writers Kurtis Lee, Tom McGhee, Jordan Steffen and Erin Udell contributed to this report.

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[The Stig]

[The Stig]

Original story at Yahoo News

Weather brings some relief from raging Colorado wildfires
ReutersBy Keith Coffman | Reuters – 1 hr 3 mins ago

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) - Lighter winds helped firefighters as they battled on Thursday to contain an inferno on the edge of Colorado Springs and near the Air Force Academy that has torched hundreds of homes and forced about 35,000 people to flee.

For the first time in five days, a red flag warning, which indicates weather that could increase wildfire activity - was not posted in the Colorado Springs area where the so-called Waldo Canyon Fire has burned since Saturday, authorities said.

"It definitely increases their (firefighters') morale because it means they can work safer, it means that they can most likely get more done today," fire information officer Rob Deyerberg said.

The Waldo Canyon blaze, however, remained devastating and only 5 percent contained, officials said. Searing temperatures and strong winds in recent days fueled the blaze, which has burned 18,500 acres, destroyed homes on the wooded fringe of Colorado's second largest city and threatened the Air Force Academy.

Firefighters on Wednesday pushed back a spot fire in a vacant corner of the academy, but some residential neighborhoods in and around Colorado Springs were harder hit.

"There was nothing left in some areas, burned out foundations that were smoldering. It looked like a nuclear weapon had been dropped. It's as close to hell as I could imagine," said Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach, who toured the heavily damaged Mountain Shadows subdivision.

Authorities have not released an official count of the number of homes destroyed in the Waldo Canyon fire but said the figure was in the "hundreds." A more complete damage assessment was expected later on Thursday.

Colorado wildfires have killed four people this year in what the governor called "the worst fire season" in state history. No injuries from the Waldo Canyon fire have been reported.

"Yesterday was a good day, and firefighters have made progress," incident commander Rich Harvey said at a news briefing on Thursday. "Now we're going to go after it aggressively."

'A SEA OF HOT AIR'

More than 1,200 personnel, supported by heavy air tankers and helicopters, are assigned to the blaze, Harvey said.

On Thursday morning, Colorado had a total of nine air tankers, including four Lockheed C-130s, available to drop fire retardant on blazes in the state, said Jennifer Jones, spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center.

Despite the blaze, the Air Force Academy welcomed over 1,000 new cadets on Thursday, bringing them to a part of the facility far from the smoke, Academy spokesman Harry Lundy said.

Winds at the Waldo Canyon fire were only about 12 miles an hour (19 kilometers per hour), fire officials said. By comparison, winds in the area on Tuesday reached speeds of 40 mph, said Alex Sosnowski, expert senior meteorologist for AccuWeather.com.

President Barack Obama planned to visit the Colorado Springs area on Friday to meet with firefighters and tour the ravaged zones. More than 35,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, officials said.

Sporadic, light rainfall fell in parts of Colorado Springs on Thursday. Despite the drop-off in wind speeds over the last two days, forecasters said high temperatures would remain a problem.

On Thursday, temperatures were expected to reach the high 90s Fahrenheit (the mid-30s Celsius), Sosnowski said. "Essentially they're going to be stuck in a sea of hot air ... for the next two to three weeks at least," he said.

The Waldo Canyon fire was one of a dozen blazes across Colorado on Thursday. The High Park fire, which burned 257 homes west of Fort Collins and north of Denver making it the state's most destructive fire in terms of property lost, was listed as 75 percent contained on Thursday.

No red-flag warning was issued around the area of the 87,284-acre (35,322-ha) High Park fire for the first time in five days as well. Some evacuation orders were lifted, and some residents were allowed to return to their homes.

There are 42 large, active wildfires burning in the United States, with Colorado and Montana suffering the most, Jones said.

Wildfires also are raging in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, but with 1.6 million acres burned across the United States in 2012, the fire activity this year still ranks below the 10-year average for the nation, federal records show.

(Additional reporting by Ellen Miller; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Tim Gaynor and Paul Simao)

[The Stig]

Original Story from FoxNews

Raging Wildfires in Colorado prompts FBI investigation
Published June 28, 2012
FoxNews.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Federal Bureau Investigation announced Wednesday that it would investigate the cause of a raging wildfire that displaced thousands of residents and an untold number of homes in Colorado.

"The FBI Denver Division is working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement to determine if any of the wildland fires resulted from criminal activity," local FBI spokesman Dave Joly wrote in an e-mail statement to The Denver Post. "FBI personnel are supporting command post operations in the fire regions and offering assistance with managing the volumes of information related to these tragic events."

The Post’s report mentions a recent fires apparently set by a serial arsonist in a neighboring county, but points out that authorities have not given any theories on how the Waldo Canyon fire started.

The FBI will reportedly work with the El Paso County police to determine the start of the blaze.

Meanwhile, Tens of thousands of Colorado Springs residents forced from their homes by a raging wildfire took refuge with friends or family and crammed into hotels and shelters as Army troops helped firefighters protect the U.S. Air Force Academy from encroaching flames.

The blaze was burning out of control early Thursday in the mountains and within Colorado's second-largest city, after more than 30,000 evacuees frantically packed up belongings and fled.

The wildfire was one of many burning across the parched West, blazes that have destroyed structures and prompted evacuations in Montana and Utah and forced the closure of a portion of Zion National Park.

Shifting winds Wednesday challenged firefighters trying to contain the 29-square-mile Waldo Canyon blaze and extinguish hot spots inside Colorado Spring's western suburbs. The National Weather Service reported 60 mph winds and lightning above the fire Wednesday afternoon, but winds were calmer by nightfall.

"It won't stay in the same place," said incident commander Rich Harvey.

Neighborhoods where explosions of bright orange flame Tuesday signaled yet another house had been claimed were still dangerous, keeping authorities away from being to assess the damage.

But an AP aerial photo taken Wednesday of one neighborhood showed dozens of heavily damaged or destroyed homes.

Ed and Florine Gigandet took refuge in a hotel in Manitou Springs, which days earlier had been evacuated when the same fire passed through. They fled their home as ash fell on their driveway from an ominous orange smoke overhead.

Trying to learn about damage, the Gigandets drove to near their west Colorado Springs neighborhood to talk to police officers and see the area. They scoured media photos and spent hours on the phone with friends for any scrap of information. Authorities told the Gigandets it could be at least week before they're allowed home.

"We only packed clothes for four days," Florine Gigandet, 83, a retired photo printer, said. "I really thought that we'd be gone for only a day."

The displaced residents took stock of what they left behind. Some sat in coffee shops, others stood on bluffs to keep an eye on their neighborhoods, and others met with insurance company representatives.

The fire moved so fast that Laura Oldland grabbed damp laundry out of her drier and threw it into a suitcase. But she forgot her grandmother's dishes.

The Gigandets, avid golfers, left their clubs behind. "We should be out golfing," said Ed Gigandet, 81, a retired mining machinery sales analyst.

Meanwhile, the White House said President Barack Obama will tour fire-stricken areas of Colorado on Friday and thank firefighters battling some of the worst fires to hit the American West in decades.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Peter Carey said Obama's visit to Colorado, considered a key battleground state in the presidential election, would not tax the city's already-strained police force. Gov. John Hickenlooper said he expected the president might sign a disaster declaration that would allow for more federal aid.

The fire burned about 10 acres along the southwest boundary of the Air Force Academy campus. No injuries or damage to structures — including the iconic Cadet Chapel — were reported.

Late Wednesday night, Air Force Academy officials announced they were relocating about 550 cadets off academy grounds. About 200 cadets in summer academics were being moved to the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, and 350 others in airmanship and other training programs were released to local sponsor families, the school said. The cadet area isn't immediately threatened, and an incoming class of more than 1,000 is still scheduled to arrive Thursday.

About 120 soldiers from nearby Fort Carson built firebreaks around parts of the academy, aided by equipment including 10 heavy bulldozers, four excavators, 13 military transportation and support vehicles, and one commercial road grader, Army officials said.

The full scope of the fire remained unknown. So intense were the flames and so thick the smoke that rescue workers weren't able to tell residents which structures were destroyed and which ones were still standing. Steve Cox, a spokesman for Mayor Steve Bach, reported that at least dozens of homes had been consumed.

Indeed, authorities were too busy Wednesday struggling to save homes in near-zero visibility to count how many had been destroyed in what is the latest test for a drought-parched and tinder-dry state. At one point, a team assessing the damage had to leave charred neighborhoods because of smoke and fire danger.

Carey said officials had no plans to release the numbers of homes destroyed — insisting residents have a right to be told first, in private.

Read more: Raging Wildfires in Colorado prompts FBI investigation | Fox News

[bacpacker]

Good articles posted Stig. Thanks for putting them up, I really hadn't had much of a chance to read about the fire. My prayers go out to all the folks who have lost so much. I think one of Ants, Vodin I think, lives in Colorado. I certainly hope they are no where near that area.

I think this is a excellent topic to use to present prepping to folks, at least being ready to leave your home on short notice and have the few most valuable things and needed items easy to load and leave quickly.

[Vodin]

I am fine and out of the area that the fire is in. Thank you for your good thoughts toward the CO folk. Its rough for the people having to evac... but at least they are able to receive the warning first. I think there has only been one death here since the start of the fire. Now in CO Springs wow that exploded real fast. I heard they lost 300 homes just today. CO Springs is about 40 miles south from me. I am thinking positive thoughts for all involved with the blaze in both locations.

[bacpacker]

Glad your ok Vodin. Thanks for keepong us posted.

[The Stig]

Original story at the Denver Post

Colorado wildfire: 346 homes lost, 1 dead in Waldo Canyon fire
Posted: 06/29/2012 01:00:00 AM MDT
Updated: 06/29/2012 07:22:17 AM MDT
By Jeremy P. Meyer
The Denver Post
Of all the streets in Mountain Shadows, none suffered the kinds of losses Majestic did. (Photos by Bing, left and RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)
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The roaring Waldo Canyon fire that exploded into west-side neighborhoods of Colorado Springs destroyed 346 homes — making it the most destructive wildfire in state history. It also has claimed at least one life.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Pete Carey announced late Thursday that human remains had been found in a burned home in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood. A second person is missing, he said. He said the body was found in the rubble at 2910 Rossmere St. No further details were released.

Residents of three dozen streets in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood were summoned to a meeting Thursday night at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. There, they learned with certainty which of their homes had
survived and which had fallen in the unprecedented firestorm Tuesday afternoon and evening.

"This is going to be a tough evening, but we're going to get through it," Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach said before the meeting. "This community is going to mount an unprecedented response to this. ... This community will surround them with love and encouragement, and we will move forward as a city."

At the meeting, people were gathered by street to receive the news.

"People finding out for the first time were in tears," Byron Largent said, but it was good to "see the way the street came together and supported each other."

Byron and his wife Rebekah, who lived on Majestic Drive, said they already knew their news was bad, because they had seen an aerial photo in The Denver Post.

The Largents lost their home on the daughter Emma's first birthday.

"We got us out, our daughter out and our cat out," he said. "What else matters?"

Even as bad news was being spread, firefighters were ending a good day on the fire lines as cooler temperatures and even a squall of rain fell over the 16,750-acre fire.

Effective at 8 p.m., mandatory evacuation orders were lifted for some neighborhoods, but remained in effect for Cedar Heights, Mountain Shadows, Peregrine and areas north of Rockrimmon.

By evening, officials said, crews had 15 percent containment on the Waldo Canyon fire, which has been burning west of the city since Saturday.

Colorado Springs police officials said 10 people remain unaccounted for since Tuesday's blow-up, and authorities were trying to locate them through friends and family.

Police also said they expect some "property crimes" to have occurred at some homes that have been empty because of mandatory evacuations. Two people have been arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Frustration grew Thursday among residents who — at that point — had been out of their homes for days, some since the weekend.

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Mountain Shadows resident David Dougherty waved a copy of the statewide evacuation policy and demanded that he be let in.

"You don't have the authority to keep me out of my house," Dougherty shouted to Colorado Springs Police Chief Peter Carey, who calmly told the man that since Colorado Springs is a home-rule city, it does have the authority to supersede the state order.

The fickle nature of the flames — which on some streets wiped out houses on either side of homes that remained standing — was illustrated by the experience of another resident.

Lynn Becka and her husband had been evacuated and came to the afternoon meeting seeking answers. They learned that their house had been spared.

"We lost everything three years ago, and the thought of going through that again was unbearable," she said.

Three years ago, the family lost most of their possessions when mounting bills for their son's medical treatments prevented them from paying rent on a storage unit in Illinois.

"We lived pretty much without furniture for a year and a half," she said. "We just started buying furniture this past year."

Just two days before the Waldo Canyon fire roared into their neighborhood, the family was putting together pots, pans and other items to give to a family who had lost their home in a different wildfire.

Bach said he doesn't agree with former Gov. Bill Owens that President Barack Obama's visit Friday will be a distraction and is "ill-advised."

Bach said he welcomes Obama and said city officials have told the White House that the city won't be able to offer resources to provide security for the president's visit. "I really appreciate the president coming here ... "And I do plan to ask for cash."

Staff writers Sara Burnett, Kurtis Lee, Jordan Steffen and Erin Udell contributed to this report.

[Vodin]

Colorado Springs lost a lil over 350 homes I heard on the radio this Friday morning. Pres Obama was scheduled to be in CO Springs to 'view' the fire I would assume he will be at the Air Force Academy.

[ak474u]

My cousins condo was spared, fire came right up to the driveway and was stopped. There's a list somewhere on the net about creating a "defensible area" around a structure when building, or clearing land to prevent losing a house to fires like this. It also has a list of materials that are approved for exteriors to prevent the house from going up due to a fire. It's definitely something to think about, can you imagine the damage if fire crews didn't show up post SHTF? Of course keeping an open space around your SHTF fortress is a good idea to keep bad guys from sneaking up, but it might serve as a good buffer for wildfire prevention as well.