It feels like all of Colorado is burning. I know this is a factual exaggeration, but if you are here, it seems to be true. The High Park fire, near Fort Collins, has burned over 82,000 acres. The smoke from that fire, north of here, is sometimes strong in my town, and the skies are often hazy.
Yesterday, the Waldo Canyon fire started about 30 miles from where Kelsea and I were staying in Cripple Creek. The smoke was acrid where we were, burning our noses, eyes, and throats, making us cough, making it hard to breathe. Attendance at Donkey Derby Days had dropped significantly, with people trying to figure out how to get out. The highway into Colorado Springs was closed, and the alternate routes were unfamiliar and took unseasoned travellers far out of the way of wherever their final destination may have been.
We left after the Dog Show, and decided to see how far into Woodland Park we could get, making it to the WalMart before we were turned back.
Here’s the view of the fire from the Woodland Park WalMart parking lot:
We turned around and headed down Hwy. 67 towards Deckers, and had gotten just around Turtle Creek when Kelsea said, “Is that smoke?” I didn’t see it, so I thought it might be just blown over from the Waldo Canyon fire, but sure enough about a mile onward, we saw had a clear view to the south, and saw this:
Kelsea called 911 and was told there were already crews on the way. Our question is, what crews? Fully half of the NATION’s wildfire fighting resources are already deployed to existing Colorado fires, and there are huge fires burning in New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona as well. By the time we had driven another mile, and pulled over on a high spot, we saw this:
Trees were starting to pop like firecrackers. And the wind was picking up and moving our direction. We were about a mile from the fire. I decided we should head on, because that just seems like a good idea when a fire is heading your way. But we stood there watching for a bit, near tears. It hurts to watch such beauty burn.
By the time we got to Pine, we heard that they had closed the road behind us. We had passed quite a few cars clearly packed with as much of their possessions as they could carry, and the atmosphere at Zola’s, where we stopped for burgers, was markedly subdued. In fact, we were unusually quiet and pensive, both wishing there was something we could do. We are both warm bodies, and would both be willing to go toe to toe with a wildfire.
I’m home now, and the wind is high, the skies are churning and greenish, thunder is rumbling, and I just unwisely finished watching “Twister”. Fire trucks and emergency vehicles are racing past my house. To quote Puglet, no idea.
But please say a prayer for all of those who are being impacted by the combined wrath of Mother Nature and carelessness of man – who knows which is the cause of such destruction.
17 comments
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June 24, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Scholar Mel
Reblogged this on 1 Million Reblogs.
June 24, 2012 at 8:56 pm
Seasweetie
Thanks, Scholar Mel!
June 24, 2012 at 10:33 pm
slpmartin
Out here in SoCal the fires seem like an annual event…I hope your fires there get under control soon.
June 25, 2012 at 8:42 am
Seasweetie
Me too,slp.
June 25, 2012 at 12:52 am
TBM
I’ve been following the fires from London. A couple of my friends almost lost their home. I can remember many summers when there were too many fires, but this summer seems worse–and it is still early summer. I really wish I could send all of you some of our rain. Stay safe and keep us informed.
June 25, 2012 at 9:24 am
Seasweetie
It is much worse than I’ve seen it in over thirty years, especially so early.
June 25, 2012 at 6:26 am
Beth Ann
Wow–those are some amazing and disturbing pictures. It makes me so sad to see them and to know that so many are affected by the fires. Definitely saying a prayer for all who are being impacted…stay safe.
June 25, 2012 at 7:38 am
Pie Consulting & Engineering
We’ve got our resident wildfire expert up in High Park helping out…I hope they get rain this week and I hope the wind stops 😦
June 25, 2012 at 9:27 am
Seasweetie
I hope so too, and so glad to hear you have someone helping out. The wildlife are a heartbreak for me.
June 25, 2012 at 9:55 pm
quotidianhudsonriver
Amazing shot of te Turtle Creek fire. Stay safe.
June 25, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Seasweetie
We’re trying – thanks, qhr.
June 26, 2012 at 10:24 am
thepetalpusher
Be careful not to breathe too much of that air and be safe. Sending a rain dance out to the West.
June 26, 2012 at 10:33 am
Seasweetie
We need it – thanks, petal!
June 26, 2012 at 3:27 pm
tedgriffith
Yep, we’re in fire season! (I live about 20 miles west of the Weber fire. Lots of smoke the past couple of days)
June 26, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Seasweetie
Best of luck to you, Ted. Just hoping that fire season ends early this year.
June 28, 2012 at 10:15 am
brett
It sucks watching my home burn from 2000 miles away 😦 i wish they had had more control burns to limit the amount of fuel these things have now. I’ve, too, seen a few fires grow from afar. it is saddening. I was at 9200 ft watching the Crystal Fire grow 10-fold in an hour last year. I’m glad no one has been hurt yet…quite amazing really. Those ground and air crews are putting their lives on the line (literally) every day. be safe and contact the humane society if you want to help any furry mammals.
June 28, 2012 at 10:39 am
Seasweetie
It does totally suck, Brett. The beetle-kill has made conditions so treacherous, and there aren’t any concrete, organized plans to do anything about it. It’s a blessing that no lives have been lost and these firecrews are angels. I too worry about the animals, both domestic and wild.