Wild Fires

[American Patriot]

This is really, really, really bad news... any houses in the way... are going to be gone tonight.

Colorado infernos likely to grow: 'Whatever is in its way, it's going to take'

Posted: Jun 13, 2013 7:24 AM by Ed Payne and Paul Vercammen - CNN News


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) -- Anxiety chokes central Colorado like the smoke smothering its skies.


Two ferocious wildfires are roaring across the region, scorching thousands of acres and devouring dozens of homes.


"This part, not knowing if I have a house or not is the worst," said Paula Warren, one of thousands of residents forced to flee as the Black Forest Fire closed in on her home northeast of Colorado Springs.


"I thought I had about an hour, and it turned out to be about 20 minutes," she said. "I had a pillowcase full of socks, and that's basically all I have."


The Black Forest Fire is one of two major fires taking its toll on the land and resources. The other, the Royal Gorge Fire, is burning on the other side of Colorado Springs, threatening the iconic Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge.


Firefighters have continued their assault on the flames from the ground and from the sky.


But high temperatures, dry brush and gusty winds are proving to be a catastrophic combination.


Ken Litch is a 12-year resident of the area. On Wednesday, he watched as the Black Forest Fire gained ground on his home. There wasn't much else he could go.
"A hundred homes would be nothing," he told CNN affiliate KUSA. "Whatever is in its way, it's going to take."


And it's already taken quite a bit.


At last check, the Black Forest Fire had spread to 8,500 acres, according to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management. Firefighters have not been able to gain any containment of the blaze.


"We have some very unpredictable conditions," El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said Wednesday. "Priorities are saving lives (including) protecting first responders and firefighters."


'... And then it's gone'

The inferno is likely to continue for a couple more days as temperatures are forecast to stay in the 90s through Friday, with winds gusting up to 30 mph.


Maketa said he anticipated the fire would grow by another 3,000 acres.


Mandatory evacuation orders, which extended over a 55-square-mile area, affected about 9,000 people in more than 3,400 households.


Thankfully, as of Wednesday afternoon, there were no reports of casualties, but one person might be missing, Maketa said.


Still, at least 92 structures were labeled as lost, leaving many families heartbroken.


"You've worked your whole life to have your own little place on this globe," said one man, his voice choked with emotion. "You find someplace that's special to you ... and then it's gone."


Famous bridge still intact
The Royal Gorge Fire is burning about 55 miles to the southwest.


Authorities downgraded the number of acres burned from 3,800 to 3,100 late Wednesday. It was less than half the size of the Black Forest Fire and was 20% contained, the state office of emergency management reported. Twenty structures have been lost to the flames.


"We have made good progress on the fire today without any accidents or injuries," said Dennis Page, incident commander for the fire.


The Royal Gorge Fire triggered the precautionary evacuation of some 905 inmates from the Centennial Correctional Facility, located in Canon City.


Most of the inmates are "special needs," meaning they receive medical treatment, said state corrections department spokeswoman Alison Morgan.


The famous Royal Gorge Bridge that spans the Arkansas River is still intact but needs to be inspected before it can reopen for tourists, a spokeswoman for the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park said.


The suspension bridge, which is 956 feet above the river and among the highest in the world, is made of more than 1,000 wooden planks.


"We did not know until today whether the bridge was still standing," Gorge Bridge and Park spokeswoman Peggy Gair said.


Gair says fire at the park burned a visitor's center, a tramway building, a carousel and several restaurants.


There were other fires in the state as well, including in Grand and Huerfano Counties.


But none as threatening as the one in Black Forest, now eerily resembling its name.

[American Patriot]

A third wildfire in southern Colorado erupted Tuesday in rural Huerfano County. The Klikus Fire had burned an estimated 45 to 50 acres west of La Veta, prompting evacuation orders for about 200 residences.


The causes of those fires weren't immediately confirmed.


A fourth wildfire sparked by lightning Monday in Rocky Mountain National Park quickly grew to an estimated 300 to 400 acres Tuesday. No structures were threatened.

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Color...#ixzz2W6UIZVbT

[American Patriot]

Terrorists, you dumbass, do NOT turn themselves in.

God.

Investigation into Waldo Canyon fire has stalled, detective says

By Ryan Handy Published: June 7, 2013 | 7:05 pm

The investigation into the cause of the Waldo Canyon fire has stalled almost a year after the fire destroyed 347 homes in Colorado Springs and killed two people.


Investigators have collected all the necessary evidence - they are pretty certain what caused the fire and where it ignited. But they lack key details: Who lit it and whether it was done accidentally or intentionally.


"I'm hopeful that somebody is just going to come forward," said Lt. Adrian Vasquez, the leader of the investigation task force, which includes Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and El Paso County investigators. "I have to say that right now, without somebody coming forward and providing us information, I don't know that we are going to solve this."


Vasquez, who is a violent crimes detective for the Colorado Springs Police Department, provided no new information on the case during a short news briefing on Friday.

Although investigators know that the fire is human caused and have pin-pointed its origin, Vasquez would not release details.


Meanwhile, tips rarely trickle-in. The $100,000 reward for a tip that leads to an arrest remains unclaimed. Vasquez still hopes for the tip that will lead him to a suspect, and he hopes the fire's one-year anniversary this month will inspire more leads in the case. The tipline is 385-2222.


"I think that we have reviewed everything that we have right now, We certainly collected all the evidence. We've got our forensic information back," Vasquez said. "I think that right now without somebody coming forward we are at a stall right now."
-
Contact Ryan Maye Handy: 636-0261
Twitter @ryanmhandy

[American Patriot]

More than 15,000+ acres, gone.

More than 360 homes, gone.

38,000 people affected.

94,000 acres of land evacuated now (under mandatory evacuation).

13,000 homes have been affected.

Probably more people are affected than I listed due to smoke inhalation. I know we've felt it 360 degrees around the fire.

[American Patriot]

At least 360 homes destroyed in Colo. Springs wildfire

By Thomas Peipert / Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A wildfire burning northeast of Colorado Springs has destroyed at least 360 homes, making it the most destructive in state history.

El Paso County sheriff Terry Maketa said Thursday that deputies still haven’t been able to verify the condition of 79 homes as the wildfire continues to burn. So it’s possible the figure could rise even higher.


The fire is burning near where the Waldo Canyon fire burned 347 homes last year and killed two people. It was previously the most destructive in Colorado history.


Fueled by hot temperatures, changing gusts, and thick, bone-dry forests, the Black Forest Fire earlier prompted evacuation orders and pre-evacuation notices to more than 9,000 people and to about 3,500 homes and businesses, sheriff’s officials said.


Jaenette Coyne was one of those ordered to get out as quickly as possible.


Coyne estimates she had five minutes to leave home after calling 911 to report smoke behind her home. There was no time to grab wedding albums, fingerprint artwork by her 20-month-old daughter, quilts her grandmother made, her family’s three cats.


‘‘We left with nothing,’’ she said.


She and her husband later watched on television this week as flames engulfed their house.


‘‘I don’t know how to tell you in words what it felt like,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s the worst thing I’ve ever felt in my whole life.’’


Part of neighboring Elbert County, including two camps with a total of about 1,250 children and adults, also was evacuated.


No injuries or deaths have been reported, but Maketa said officials are trying to confirm the whereabouts of one person reported missing. The cause wasn’t clear.


The fire was among several that surged rapidly Tuesday along Colorado’s Front Range. Wildfires also were burning in New Mexico, Oregon and California, where a smokejumper was killed fighting one of dozens of lightning-sparked fires.


The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday mobilized a pair of Defense Department cargo planes to help — a step taken only when all of the Forest Service’s 12 contracted tankers are in use. At least one was fighting the Black Forest Fire.


About 60 miles southwest of Colorado’s Black Forest Fire, a 4.5-square-mile wildfire that evacuated Royal Gorge Bridge & Park has destroyed 20 structures, including some in the park.


The Royal Gorge suspension bridge spanning a canyon across the Arkansas River has fire damage to 32 of its 1,292 wooden planks, city officials said. An aerial tram car and tram buildings on either side of the gorge were destroyed, and the tram cable fell into the gorge. An incline railway descending 1,500 feet to the canyon floor was damaged.
Another fire sparked by lightning Monday in Rocky Mountain National Park has grown to an estimated 600 acres in area with trees killed by pine beetles.


Gov. John Hickenlooper has declared disaster emergencies for the Black Forest and Royal Gorge fires and a 60-acre fire in rural Huerfano County, authorizing a combined $10.15 million to help pay for firefighting and other costs.


At a Wal-Mart and Home Depot parking lot, fire evacuees Greg and Sharon Rambo set up camp. They had been living in a modular home in Black Forest as they waited to close on a larger house nearby. They believe both have burned.


‘‘It leaves you feeling numb, loss of appetite, disoriented,’’ Greg Rambo said.


The couple previously lived in Southern California and were evacuated during a 2004 blaze that hopscotched over their property without damaging it. Since then, they have carried a briefcase filled with medications and important documents, and kept their trailer far from their house so they’d have a place to sleep in the event their home burns down.


Their daughter, who lives nearby, called them Tuesday and urged them to flee. They do not know if her house also burned.


Meanwhile, Coyne said her young daughter has been asking when her family can go home and ‘‘see their kitties.’’ She said the family has a place to stay but could use guidance on what to do next.


‘‘What do you do when you’ve lost everything,’’ she said.

[American Patriot]

[American Patriot]

Royal Gorge:

20% contained

3000 acres gone.

20 buildings gone.

[Ryan Ruck]

It seems that if you own a house on a sizable plot of land in the woods in an area prone to wildfires, it would be a good idea to clear trees to a minimum within 100-200yds of structures and have the ability to quickly plow up a firebreak. An external yard and structure sprinkler system sounds like it would also be a good idea.

[American Patriot]

In some cases that's simply not possible in the terrain here.

And worse, many of those areas are only a couple acres where this would require taking out pretty much ALL the trees.

The fires, Ryan are... rather unimaginable for a lot of people. When those trees go up other trees 50 yards away can catch from the heat.

When I was up at the Hayman fire a few years ago I saw that happening. I know it's happening in Black Forest because there are areas without trees that still burned.

[MinutemanCO]

Get this... when I worked for Boulder County within the development review process, several families came through the system proposing to build large dream homes in the mountains. There was always an intent to clear fire breaks around the structures by removing trees. The County commissioners without fail placed conditions on their approvals of site plans that disallowed any tree removal. In their infinite liberal wisdom, they cared not for fire safety, only the conservation of evergreens in the mountains. Granted, this was Boulder County, land of fruits and nuts, but I'm curious if this philosophy pervades among other reviewing officials.

[American Patriot]

And that Ryan, is the end of THAT discussion. LOL

[Ryan Ruck]

LMFAO! Sure is!

I know of an ARFCOMmer who lives in CA. He wanted to plant the yard of his rather expensive home with a certain type of grass (I believe it is called "ice grass" or some such) because he lived in an area prone to wildfire and this grass was more resistant to burning. CA Ag Department or some government entity said "no" because it was a non-native species.

He planted it anyway.

Sure enough, wildfire swept through the area and wouldn't you know his house was one of the few that didn't burn! He took pictures and his yard was mostly green with some brown around the edges but everywhere else was charred black. Wouldn't have believed it myself if he hadn't posted pictures.

[Ryan Ruck]

I actually found the thread! Pictures are gone though...

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/788...ali_Burns.html

[American Patriot]

Two confirmed killed, first day attempting to get out. Found dead in the garage...well what was left.
38000 - 41000 evaced, 13000 homes were affected.

15700 acres
5% contained
Significant wind shifts. Thunderstorm came in, died before it go here.

Wind gusts 35-38 due to the storm, abt to hit fire.

One area they held, not allowing fire to pass.

360 homes, optimism this has not changed "much".

[vector7]

• Colorado Black Forest Fire, June 2013

Sheriff will treat investigation into Colorado's Black Forest fire as a homicide investigation - @todayshow

• 39 mins ago by editor

[vector7]

Al Qaeda magazine encourages forest fire arson in the US – National wildfire | Examiner.com

June 13, 2013 4:27 pm0 commentsViews:



A magazine published by members of al Qaeda has called for Western Muslims to wage war within the United States, urging them to engage in lone wolf attacks, including setting forest fires. According to ABC News, a recent issue of Inspire magazine has surfaced on jihadi forums with one article titled “It Is of Your Freedom to Ignite a Firebomb”, which gives detailed instructions on how to build an “ember bomb” in a forest in the United States, and suggested Montana as a choice location due to the rapid population growth in forested areas.

source http://www.examiner.com/article/al-qaeda-magazine-encourages-forest-fire-arson-the-us

ABC Flashback to May 2, 2012

Al Qaeda Magazine Calls for Firebomb Campaign in US



Terror Alert: Forest Fires as Al Qaeda Weapon?

The magazines have also lost some of the snark and American colloquialisms favored by the U.S.-raised Samir Khan, who memorably titled one of his articles urging Western Muslims to wage lone wolf attacks "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom." But issue nine carries equally lethal advice, with "It Is of Your Freedom to Ignite a Firebomb," which gives detailed instructions on how to ignite an "ember bomb" in a U.S. forest, recommending Montana because of the rapid population growth in wooded areas.

"In America, there are more houses built in the [countryside] than in the cities," says the writer, who uses the pseudonym The AQ Chef. "It is difficult to choose a better place [than] in the valleys of Montana."

Issue eight has an eight-page article on how to construct remote-controlled explosives, with a laundry list of parts and ingredients and photos showing proper assembly.

In addition, issue eight provides tips on training with a handgun and issue nine provides advice on how to be an urban assassin.

[American Patriot]

Kind of hard to treat a death as a homicide unless there is evidence that the fire was started deliberately. Gosh, what have I been saying all along?

The conditions were PREDICTED to be just right for what happened. Do you all NOT THINK that someone with evil intent wouldn't use the opportunity?

We had 5 fires set.

They got Mountain Shadows last year, this year they've wiped out almost an entire town.

They also almost destroyed a Colorado icon, the Royal Gorge Bridge. Firefighters fought and save it, but there was still some damage, and 20 buildings were burned to the ground.

[American Patriot]

By the way, the deaths of the folks in Waldo Canyon are being treated as a criminal investigation as well.

Nothing has come from that.

[vector7]

Hafiz Saeed calls for jihad against America

By AFP / Rana Tanveer
Published: April 6, 2012

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JuD leader says US is even afraid of his name. PHOTO: AFP/ FILE

MUZAFFARABAD / LAHORE: In a fiery Friday sermon, Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed called on the people to wage jihad against America in order to save Pakistan and Islam. “Come to us. We will teach you the meaning of jihad… The time to fight has come.”


US imam calls on Muslims in US to wage jihad

7:03 PM 02/26/2013
Neil Munro
White House Correspondent



The controversial imam of a prominent mosque in Arlington, Va., has urged immigrant Muslims in the United States to wage war for Islam.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/02/26/us...#ixzz2WCapxeTO



Forest Fire Jihad: A New Terrorist Threat

March 26, 2013


The idea of forest fires as terrorist tools started in 2007 when the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network, an online group linked with Al-Qaeda, published several blogs about the use of forest wildfires as a new method of warfare. AFP Photo

By Rommel Banlaoi

US Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell has predicted that 2013 was going to be a “bad fire year.”

This means that the US Forest Service has to face the gargantuan task of preventing forest fires in the country, particularly during the dry days of summer.

But what is more worrisome is the idea that terror groups have a plan to use forest fires as a way to strike back at the United States.

In October last year, Alexander Bortnikov, chief of Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), disclosed that Al-Qaeda was responsible for a series of forest fires in Spain and other European Union (EU) countries during the summer.

Bortnikov revealed that some Muslim arsonists started fires in major forests as part of what he described as a “forest jihad,” a part of Al-Qaeda’s strategy of mounting high impact terror at low cost.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has already recognized the threat of forest fire terrorism.

As early as May 7 last year, the FBI released Situational Information Report “to raise the awareness of local and state law enforcement partners and public safety officials about the possible threat of wildfires” in the US caused by forest jihadists.

The FBI based the report on the summer 2012 issue of Inspire, the official magazine of Al-Qaeda, which endorsed the use of forest fires as a means to wage global jihad.

Run by the operatives of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Inspire magazine devoted 11 pages to detailed instructions on how to start forest fires in the US, Australia, Russia, and the EU. It even bannered the article “It is Your Freedom to Ignite a Fire Bomb.”

“Fire is one of the soldiers of Allah. Imagine that, after all the damage is caused, if a jihad organization were to take responsibility for the forest fires. You can imagine the dread it would cause people in the United States, Europe, Russia, and Australia,” the article said.

The magazine even provided a recipe for a low-cost, highly-inflammable concoction to begin a forest fire: 1/3 of a liter of gasoline and slow-burning inflammation foam.

It also instructed forest jihadists how to prepare an ember bomb made from gasoline-soaked foam that could be ignited by a timer. It advised arsonists to use 30 ember bombs planted in tree tops about a third into the forest center upwind so the flames would spread more quickly.

If forest jihadists wanted to “frighten the Americans and cause their hearts to bleed,” Inspire magazine argued that the best forest to attack would be the forest of Montana.

The magazine explained: “It is difficult to choose a better place other than in the valleys of Montana where the population increases rapidly.”

The magazine said that destructive wildfires in Australia in 2002 and in 1983 served as inspirations for forest jihadists.

The idea of forest fires as a terrorist tool started in 2007 when the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network, an online group linked with Al-Qaeda, published several blogs about the use of forest wildfires as a new method of warfare.

But James Crippen, Director of the US-based Western Forensic Law Enforcement Training Center (WFLETC), asked, “Does Fire Jihad Exist?”

Crippen pointed out, “We have too many fires that are unattributed to known causes. There are way too many caused by lightning fires. Until full investigations are done and fire jihad ruled out for sure, we do have to consider it – even if there is not a claim for responsibility.”

“I have been involved in past terrorist investigations where the terrorist group shied away from publicity and never claimed public or private credit for their deeds. If we had a group like this actively involved in fire jihad, we might never know,” Crippen continued.

To prevent forest fire terrorism in the US, the Department of Homeland Security has set up an interagency mechanism that promotes closer coordination among concerned government institutions like the US Forest Service, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Justice, and even intelligence institutions.

Amidst the potential threat of forest fire terrorism, Forest Service spokesman Brandan Schulze declared: “We are asking Forest Service employees, law enforcement, and the general public to continue to be vigilant for any signs of wildfires and to report unusual circumstances or situations that seem out of the ordinary for outdoor recreation on all public lands.”

Rommel Banlaoi is the Editor and Vice President of Homeland Voice. He is also the Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research (PIPVTR) and a Non-Resident Fellow of the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation based in New York City.


Video: Al Qaeda Magazine Encourages Forest Fire Attacks

Al Qaeda Magazine Encourages Forest Fire Attacks




Obama Administration's Tunnel Vision Strengthening Jihad against America

US Tunnel Vision Strengthening Jihad against America





Melbourne - Religion Of Peace: Islam Group Urges Forest Fire Jihad On Australia

Published on: February 10, 2009 09:26 AM



Bushfires cloud the sky.

Melbourne - Australia has been singled out as a target for “forest jihad” by a group of Islamic extremists urging Muslims to deliberately light bushfires as a weapon of terror.

US intelligence channels earlier this year identified a website calling on Muslims in Australia, the US, Europe and Russia to “start forest fires”, claiming “scholars have justified chopping down and burning the infidels’ forests when they do the same to our lands”.

The website, posted by a group called the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network, argues in Arabic that lighting fires is an effective form of terrorism justified in Islamic law under the “eye for an eye” doctrine.

The posting - which instructs jihadis to remember “forest jihad” in summer months - says fires cause economic damage and pollution, tie up security agencies and can take months to extinguish so that “this terror will haunt them for an extended period of time”.

“Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist organisation were to claim responsibility for the forest fires,” the website says. “You can hardly begin to imagine the level of fear that would take hold of people in the United States, in Europe, in Russia and in Australia.”

With the nation heading into another hot, dry summer, Australian intelligence agencies are treating the possibility that bushfires could be used as a weapon of terrorism as a serious concern.

Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the Federal Government remained “vigilant against such threats”, warning that anyone caught lighting a fire as a weapon of terror would feel the wrath of anti-terror laws.

“Any information that suggests a threat to Australia’s interests is investigated by relevant agencies as appropriate,” Mr McClelland said.

Adam Dolnik, director of research at the University of Wollongong’s Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention, said that bushfires (unlike suicide bombing) were generally not considered a glorious type of attack by jihadis, in keeping with a recent decline in the sophistication of terrorist operations.

“With attacks like bushfires, yes, it would be easy. It would be very damaging and we do see a decreasing sophistication as a part of terrorist attacks,” Dr Dolnik said.

“In recent years, there have been quite a few attacks averted and it has become more and more difficult for groups to do something effective.”

Dr Dolnik said he had observed an increase in traffic on jihadi websites calling for a simplification of terrorist attacks because the more complex operations had been failing. But starting bushfires was still often regarded as less effective than other operations because governments could easily deny terrorism as the cause.

The internet posting by the little-known group claimed the idea of forest fires had been attributed to imprisoned Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab Al-Suri. It said Al-Suri had urged terrorists to use sulphuric acid and petrol to start forest fires.


Russia accuses al-Qaida of 'forest jihad' in Europe

Forest fires in EU countries should be considered part of al-Qaida's new strategy, says Russia's top security official

• Miriam Elder in Moscow
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 3 October 2012 12.08 EDT

A firefighter stands in front of a blazing wildfire in Contencas de Cima, central Portugal. Photograph: Nuno Andre Ferreira/EPA

Russia's top security official has alleged that al-Qaida was waging "forest jihad" in Europe by sparking the wildfires that have ravaged the continent in recent summers.

"Forest fires in EU countries should be considered one of the new trends in al-Qaida's 'thousand cuts' strategy," Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Federal Security Service, told a security conference in Moscow on Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported.

"This approach allows them to inflict significant damage on the economy and morale without any serious preparation, technical equipment or financial losses," he said.

He cited talk of "forest jihad" on various extremist websites and forums as evidence of the strategy.

Fire outbreaks in forests across Europe have become a yearly phenomenon, often blamed on human negligence. This year tens of thousands of hectares of land were set ablaze across Spain Portugal, the Balkans and southern Europe. Some 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Spain last week as strong winds fuelled uncontrollable fires.

Environmentalists quickly dismissed Bortnikov's claim. "There isn't the slightest doubt that the human factor is the cause of the fires in the Mediterranean," Nikolai Shmatkov, a forest expert at the Moscow office of the World Wildlife Fund, told the Interfax news agency. "How involved al-Qaida is in this, how much they need to focus their forces not against the Americans, but against the Greeks and Spaniards, I can't say. I'm sceptical."

Russians also reacted with shock. "And when Russia's forests and peat bogs were burning in 2010, what was that? Also al-Qaida? And this summer in Siberia – was that also part of this 'thousand cuts' strategy?" asked Anton Orekh, a journalist at the liberal radio station, Ekho Moskvy.

While Bortnikov provided no proof, his theory reflects public discussions among Islamic extremists. The summer issue of Inspire, the online propaganda publication run by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula devoted 11 pages to starting forest fires in Nato countries, including instructions. "Fire is one of the soldiers of Allah," it said.

"Imagine that, after all the damage is caused, if a jihad organisation were to take responsibility for the forest fires," it said. "You can imagine the dread it would cause people in the United States, Europe, Russia, and Australia."

[American Patriot]

The Sheriff just told us that "a homicide investigation is because people died, it does NOT IMPLY ANYTHING ELSE...."

Yeah, ok....