I know most people have likely heard about the wildfires plaguing Colorado over the last few weeks. I thought I’d post an update in case anyone was wondering where we are and how we’re doing in relation to the fires…
Waldo Canyon Fire, which started last Saturday, is now the most destructive fire in Colorado’s history. So far, it’s destroyed 346 homes (last I heard) along the western edge of Colorado Springs, and there’s been one reported casualty. As of this morning, the fire was 16,750 acres and 15% contained.
We first saw the smoke plume Saturday afternoon while we were in CO Springs celebrating Calla’s birthday. After finishing up our frozen yogurt, we headed home on Highway 24, up Ute Pass. This was our view:
The fire grew quickly and by the next morning, Highway 24 was closed. We decided to go ahead with Calla’s birthday party at my parents’ home since they live farther west from the fire than we do. We watched the news online all afternoon in case we needed to hurry home!
The fire continued to spread, but the firefighters worked hard Sunday and Monday to protect neighborhoods along its perimeter, both in CO Springs and the smaller communities along Highway 24/Ute Pass. We were just outside the pre-evacuation zone and had to deal with smoke on and off. Keeping the windows closed was miserable considering the outdoor temperatures were in the 90s!
On Tuesday, I took this phone picture from our backyard (facing east)…
The fire was near Rampart Reservoir at this point, which is about two air miles from our home.
It was so hot in our house that afternoon that we decided to go to Wal-Mart and walk around just to get out of the heat. Before we left, we watched online the press conference concerning the fire. The officials acknowledged the erratic and aggressive behavior of the fire, but still seemed confident that they were getting a handle on it. However, during that press conference, a dry thunderstorm moved over the mountains and the gusty winds sent the fire unexpectedly into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood.
We went on to Wal-Mart but kept track of the fire news on our phones…in that one evening, the Waldo Canyon Fire destroyed nearly 350 homes. It was a surreal experience, seeing the photos and news from our neighbors just 20 minutes away who were experiencing such devastation while we sat and prayed under clear, blue skies.
I took this picture from our backyard the next day (Wednesday) after part of our town was placed under mandatory evacuation orders.
The fire was acting up along part of Hwy 24 and at the reservoir, so the city officials decided to err on the side of caution after the previous day’s disaster. Our neighborhood was in the “pre-evacuation” zone, so we decided to pack our bags and be ready in case we needed to leave at a moment’s notice. Thankfully, we didn’t have to leave, and the last two days have been a little cooler with more cloud cover. The weather has been in the firefighters’ favor for the most part, and we pray that God continues to strengthen them and bless their efforts!
Highway 24 remains closed and will be through at least the weekend. We’re still under pre-evacuation notice (and almost half of our town is still under mandatory evacuation), but things are definitely looking up! We appreciate your prayers for the firefighters, as well as for the thousands of people who are without homes. And please continue to pray for rain!!
{ Here’s a link from the Denver Post with some almost-unbelievable photos of the fire from Tuesday night…
http://photos.denverpost.com/mediacenter/2012/06/photos-waldo-canyon-fire-near-garden-of-the-gods/38318/ }
-Abby
So sad…….But thank God for His protection; we are grateful!
Will continue to pray……
Thank you for your prayers, Mama!
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Abby we have been praying for you and your neighbors. I am so glad to hear that you all are safe and have been able to stay in your home. On a positive note the kids and I made your poptarts a few days ago using our homemade strawberry jelly and loved them. Thanks for posting the recipe and pictures!
So fun! Glad you liked them! And thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate it!
Certainly will be a birthday that Calla won’t forget. She is old enough to ‘get’ this. How is she handling it and how are you handling it with her? Happy Belated Birthday to her!
praying!
The biggest bummer is that our family in Abq was planning to visit but had to cancel due to the fire. Calla’s pretty sad about that, but she’s shown a lot of trust in God as far as the fire goes. She’s been faithfully praying for rain and for the firefighters. Blesses my heart!
Are y’all still doing okay?
What’s the latest?
As of this evening, the fire has been 100% contained, praise the Lord! We never had to evacuate, thankfully. The highway between us and CO Springs was opened back up earlier this week and we drove down the pass yesterday…we could see burn scars all over the north side…all the way down to the road at some points. It was a beast of a fire, so we’re very grateful to the firefighters who’ve been working so hard to contain it. And we’re so happy that we’ve gotten some rain this week — it’s been so long!
Thanks for checking on us!
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