Wild Fires

[American Patriot]

Mayor should have said completely deadpan, "No, President Obama has not given us operational command authority over the HAARP installation at this time."

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep

[American Patriot]

Current on Waldo Canyon Fire:

Around 5200 acres. 16,000+ evacuated in the area. Some areas are being cleared for evacuees to return sometime today (not sure when yet).

Three C-130 tankers are in rotation on this fire, and fires in the High Park fire as far as I can determine (they drop 3000 gallons of retardant at a time, they are being used to hold the fire down while ground crews battle the fires.)

One structure was lost last night, but it was a shed in or near a camping area. No lives have been lost. No known injuries.

They are not able to fully investigate the Waldo Canyon Fire because they can not get into the area where the fire started yet. So the investigation has been hampered by that.

I'm coughing my head off as the whole city is blanketed with smoke this morning.

I'm off work today to take my wife in for dental surgery. I'll report as I have time.

I can't even see the front range at this for the smoke, most of it is drifting east towards me and it smells like a nasty camp fire (not a nice one).

[American Patriot]

Note in these articles they are giving a number of 5,000 people. Over 16,000 have been evacuated now. My numbers are coming from the MDA alerts I'm getting on my phone, text, email etc (they want to make damned sure I get an alert I guess!)

Posted: Sun 11:01 AM, Jun 24, 2012
A A
Reporter: KKTV

Updated: Tue 6:33 AM, Jun 26, 2012
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Waldo Canyon Fire Evacuation And Road Closure Information 6/26/12


[IMG]http://media.graytvinc.com/images/300*187/6-24waldo+canyon+fire.jpg[/IMG]


Nearly 5,000 people from 2,559 homes remain evacuated Tuesday.
The existing mandatory evacuations are as followed:
-Crystal Park
-The Cedar Heights subdivision
-Portions of Mountain Shadows. Boundaries are Rampart Range Rd. to the west and everything west of 30th St. and Centennial from Gateway Rd. north to Chuck Wagon Rd.
- Cascade
-Green Mountain Falls
-Chipita Park
-Farish and Carrol Lake off Rampart Road
Pre-evacuation notices:
-Residents south of Woodland Park and west to Edlow Road, including residents on both sides of Edlow, are under this notice.
- Woodland Park east of Safeway and north of Safeway to Rampart Range Road, south to Edlow Road.
The areas under pre-evacuation notices are not being forced to evacuate at this time. Residents are simply asked to be on standby, and are advised to gather important documents and pack for 72 hours (3 days) in the case of a mandatory evacuation order.
Summit Elementary School in Divide and Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs are being used as an evacuation shelter for all evacuees. To check if a family member is at a shelter, call 719-785-2724.
Evacuees are asked to register with redcross.org/safeandwell
Rocky Mountain Health Care Services is offering a shelter option and can take small pets with evacuees. They are located on 310 S. 14th St. Call 719-641-2747.
Large animals can be taken to the Norris Penrose Equestrian Center, located at 1045 W. Rio Grande St. The Humane Society is currently at capacity and is setting up a second location, which will be announced sometime Monday. The following places may accept evacuated animals:
Canine Design Salon 719-227-7220
Sunrise Kennels 719-661-7036
Cheyenne Mountain Animal Hospital 719-343-3840
Lucky Dog 719-527-9663
Bear Creek Vet 719-685-1177
Dublin Animal Hospital 719-338-8935
A Cut Above Pet Grooming 719-630-7387
Lucky Dog Boarding 719-599-9663
CATS Lucky Dog Boarding 719-527-9663
Central Bark Dog Daycare 719-592-9300
Canine Campus 719-448-9600
A Paw Above Boarding Service 719-386-7291
Northwest Animal Hospital 719-593-8582
Camp Bow Wow 719-260-9247
Sunrise Kennels 719-598-8348
Aspen Meadows Pet Resort 719-282-6000
Picasso’s Pet Grooming- Security 719-392-4092
Rocky Mountain Health Care Services (Can House People & Pets) 719-641-2747 & 719-201-0247
Powers ER Animal 719-473-0482
Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital 719-598-3192
People staying at the Cheyenne Mountain shelter can bring small animals with them, but no pets can be dropped off without an owner.
The fire has forced changes to mail delivery. Below is a release from the post office:
The spread of the Waldo Canyon fire has forced the Postal Service to relocate postal operations for affected customers to pick up their mail. The decision impacts approximately 1130 Post Office Boxes and 850 street deliveries.
If you live in Green Mountain Falls, CO, 80819, mail pickup will be out of the Woodland Park, Tamarac Station, located at 900 Tamarac Parkway. Hours of service are 9-5. Questions can be directed to 719-686-0240.
If you live in Cascade, CO, 80809, mail pickup will be at the Colorado Springs, West End Retail Unit, located at 204 S 25th St 80904. Hours of service are 830-5:30. Questions can be directed to 719-570-5456.
If you live in the Colorado Springs, Cedar Heights area 80904, Mail pick up will be at the Colorado Springs West End Retail Unit located at 204 S 25th St 80904. Hours of service 830AM until 530PM. Any questions contact 719-473-6513.
If you live in the Rockrimmon area of West Centennial Blvd, South Chuckwagon Road, North 30th and Flying W Ranch Road Colorado Springs 80919, mail pickup will be at the Colorado Springs Rockrimmon Station , located at 5001 Centennial Blvd 80919. Hours of service are 730-530. Questions can be directed to 719-266-8216.
Future delivery decisions will be made after consulting with local emergency managers.
The city of Colorado Springs tells evacuees to not turn off your gas. Springs Utilities will do mass shutoffs if necessary.
Highway 24 is closed in both directions between Manitou Springs and Woodland Park.
Manitou Springs boasts a number of popular tourist attractions, all that have been closed Sunday. This includes access to Pikes Peak. Garden of the Gods park and visitor center have also been closed Sunday.
Popular parks such as Red Rocks Canyon, Cheyenne Canon and Palmer Park have been closed. Palmer Park is on the east side of town, but has been closed to prevent any fires from flaring up in the park from things such as cigarettes or barbecues. The Waldo Canyon fire is not the reason it's closed.
Along with Cheyenne Canon Park, High Drive is also closed.
Rampart Range Road is closed from Garden of the Gods to Woodland Park.
We will be frequently updating this page as more evacuations come in. Keep checking here for updates.

[American Patriot]

Raging Colorado wildfire grows near US Air Force Academy – Today’s Most Interesting News!

Publication Date 26 June 2012

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1 of 5. The Waldo Canyon fire sends up a smoke plume, which can be seen for miles, outside Colorado Springs, Colorado June 25, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Rick Wilking



By Keith Coffman
COLORADO SPRINGS | Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:57pm EDT


COLORADO SPRINGS (Reuters) – An out-of-control wildfire near some of Colorado’s most visited tourist sites expanded overnight and kept some 6,000 people from their homes on Monday, as forecasts said winds could push the flames toward the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The fire sent a mushroom cloud of smoke over Colorado Springs in the shadow of Pikes Peak, whose vistas helped inspire the patriotic tune “America the Beautiful.” Closer to the blaze, trees were visibly torquing and twisting from the heat.

The Waldo Canyon fire about 80 miles south of Denver had initially prompted the evacuation of 11,000 people on Sunday until residents of the town of Manitou Springs were allowed home, but were told to be ready to leave again on short notice.

One of those residents was retired nurse Carol Yeager, 76, who lives in Manitou Springs. Late on Saturday night, she evacuated from her stucco home on the orders of police, grabbing a handful of personal effects and her four cats.

“The flames were shooting skyward,” she said. “It’s cleared up a lot, but police told us if the wind shifts, it’s touch and go, and they said to be ready to evacuate again.”

On Sunday, El Paso County spokesman Dave Rose said the fire was burning two miles from the base of Pikes Peak, billed as the most visited mountain in North America.

The fire was also within six to 10 miles of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs as winds fanned the flames in its direction, and fire authorities listed the academy as being threatened by the blaze along with utilities and watershed.

A recreation area belonging to the Academy was ordered evacuated due to its proximity to the fire, and all trails leading west of the school were closed, the base said.

But the blaze would still have to traverse rough terrain, burning down through steep canyons and up mountain ridges, before it would reach the Air Force Academy itself, Academy spokesman Meade Warthen said.

“We don’t have any reason at this particular point to think we’re going to be inundated, but we’re standing by,” Warthen said. “There are contingency plans in place. If we need to implement them, we will.”

The Department of Homeland Security said it was providing the Federal Emergency Management Agency financial assistance to help battle the Waldo Canyon and other fires, noting the blaze’s threat to 250 homes in the area.

RESOURCES STRETCHED

The Waldo Canyon blaze came as firefighting resources were stretched by the monster High Park blaze northwest of Fort Collins, a university city north of Denver along the state’s tinder-dry Front Range.

A dozen fires in total are burning across Colorado, with high temperatures projected to top 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) again on Monday expected to cause “extreme” fire behavior, officials said.

“We’re going to be continuing to have to deal with these fires for weeks to come,” U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said. “We anticipate it’s going to be a long fire season.”

The High Park Fire – the second-largest blaze on record in the state and its most destructive – has consumed 83,205 acres in steep canyons since it was sparked by lightning two weeks ago. It is blamed for the death of a 62-year-old grandmother in her mountain cabin and has destroyed 248 homes.

An estimated 4,300 people remain evacuated from their homes as that fire burns through grass, brush and Ponderosa pine.

In southwestern Colorado, the Weber Fire grew to 8,300 acres overnight but firefighters held it about one mile southeast of the small town of Mancos, east of Mesa Verde National Park.

Roughly 50 homes were evacuated, and more residents were on evacuation warning, fire information officer Mary Huels said.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Utah, a fast-growing 39,000-acre wildfire continued to rage on Monday and was only about 12 percent contained, the state’s governor said.

An estimated 30 homes and about 75 sheep had been lost in the Wood Hollow fire, burning between the rural communities of Fountain Green and Indianola. Governor Gary Herbert, who toured the fire by helicopter on Monday morning, estimated the property losses so far at $ 7 million.

No injuries have been reported, but Herbert said fire officials did use a helicopter to remove some shepherds from the area mountains to get them out of the fire’s path.

More than 500 structures have been threatened by the Wood Hollow fire, forcing up to 1,500 people from their homes or summer cabins.

“The big worry now is the weather. Everything that can be done is being done,” Herbert told a televised news conference.

(Additional reporting by Ellen Miller in Grand Junction, Deborah Zabarenko in Washington, and Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake City; Writing and additional reporting by Mary Slosson; Editing by Eric Walsh and Lisa Shumaker)

[Ryan Ruck]

Just got a weather notice:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
in effect until Tuesday, Jun 26, 7:00 PM

...ELEVATED FIRE DANGER TODAY...

HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING ANOTHER DAY OF DRY CONDITIONS TO THE REGION. RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL FALL INTO THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S THIS AFTERNOON. THIS COMBINED WITH NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 10 MPH AND INCREASINGLY DRY VEGETATION WILL LEAD TO AN ENHANCED POTENTIAL FOR OUTDOOR FIRES.

SIMILARLY DRY CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. SO AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER CAN BE EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.

Actually don't remember the last time I saw one of those here.

[American Patriot]

With luck, you won't have forest fires there.

Just dying old people.... without air conditioning.

/sigh

[American Patriot]

Waldo Canyon Fire Burns 5,165 Acres, 1 Shed

Thousands Remain Evacuated Near Colorado Springs

Deb Stanley, New Media Producer
POSTED: 5:12 am MDT June 26, 2012
UPDATED: 8:34 am MDT June 26, 2012


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- About 6,000 people remain evacuated as the Waldo Canyon Fire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs.The fire has charred 5,165 acres, fire officials said Tuesday morning. Containment was five percent.While the fire made a run overnight up Wellington Canyon to Rampart Range, Jerri Marr, supervisor for the Pike and San Isabel National Forests, said they have only lost one structure, a small shed at Eagle Lake campground.The area around Rampart Range Road will be a major focus on Tuesday, according to incident commander Rich Harvey.He said helicopters and planes will be used to help firefighters try to hold that ridge. Sheriff's Office Likely To Start Arson Investigation

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office asked people to call a tip line -- 719-477-4205 -- with any information about how the fire started. Anyone who was around Waldo Canyon or Pyramid Mountain on Friday or Saturday is encouraged to call.El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said asking for information likely starts an arson investigation."Could this be the person that was starting the fires up in Teller County? We do not believe this is related to the Teller County arson activity whatsoever," said Maketa.Investigators still have not been to the area where the fire started."When it is safe, we will try to get a team up in there to try to identify the point of origin and the cause," said Maketa. Evacuations

The evacuations and Highway 24 closure remain unchanged on Tuesday morning, officials said.The Crystal Park community is under mandatory evacuation, as are the Cedar Heights subdivision and Mountain Shadows south of Chuck Wagon. The boundaries are Rampart Range Road to the west, and everything west of 30th and Centennial from Gateway Road north to Chuck Wagon. This is the only mandatory or voluntary evacuation in effect at this time in Colorado Springs City limits.Green Mountain Falls, Chipita Park, Cascade, Farish and Carrol Lake off Rampart Range Road are also under mandatory evacuation orders.Red Cross Evacuation Centers are at Cheyenne Mountain High School and Summit Elementary School.The Red Cross has established a number for evacuees, at 719-650-9132.There are three community information lines, available 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for people with questions about the fire. These numbers are to the joint information center: 719-520-7183, 719-520-7069, 720-402-7935, 720-237-9947 or 720-237-3417. Fighting The Fire

A Type I Team took control of the management of the fire on Monday. A Type 1 command is used in complex emergencies needing resources from multiple agencies.About 450 firefighters are battling the fire and their numbers are growing, fire officials said. Two military C-130 planes were dropping retardant on the fire.Approximately 25 miles of fireline needs to be built.
View Larger Map

[American Patriot]

I like the Sheriff, he's a good guy. But how can you say "It's not related" (If you can't say it IS related, you can't say the reverse either).

[American Patriot]

A slide show of the fire from various people:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/slid...30/detail.html

[Ryan Ruck]

With luck, you won't have forest fires there.

Just dying old people.... without air conditioning.

/sigh

If my A/C wasn't working, I would likely be among them.



Thankfully the humidity will be as low as it will be.

[American Patriot]

Incident command scanner traffic reports 200 ft flames near cedar heights. Flames 200 yds from houses. brush trucks converging. Crews scrambling to scene.

[American Patriot]

They are trying to hold the fire at Rampart Range Ridge - road running along there.

Firemen are trying to hold it there.

Otherwise, five communities are in danger if they can't hold the fire.

Air Force Academy , Peregrine, Rock Rimmon, Mtn. Shadows, Cedar Heights - those are from FARTHEST away to the CLOSEST in order.

[American Patriot]

Holy shit....


Taken at 10:57 or so. Fire is 100-150 yds behind the houses. Fire drops are being directed at that area as we speak. Two drops in the last 35 minutes. They are attacking this hard.

[American Patriot]

Reports here say the fire line is holding at Cedar Heights (the last image I posted).

The fire in Elbert county (50 miles or so east of here) has flared back up.

There have been four air dumps in the past 45 minutes or so that I have counted or seen myself.

[MinutemanCO]

Another wildfire is burning just above Boulder, Colorado. I can see the plume from my office window.

Flagstaff Fire: 26 evacuations in 6-acre wildfire west of Boulder
By Mitchell Byars, Camera Staff Writer

Boulder County emergency crews are battling a 6-acre blaze now named the Flagstaff Fire near Bison Drive in the Walker Ranch area that has prompted evacuations this afternoon.

The fire near the 1500 block of Bison Drive is slow-moving, with flames about 2 to 3 feet high and was reported around 1:15 p.m. according to Cmdr. Rick Brough with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.

Twenty-six evacuation notices have been issued for Bison Drive and the Pine Needle Notch Subdivision, and an evacuation center has been established at New Vista High School at 700 20th Street near Broadway and Baseline Road.

Flagstaff Road is also closed to all non-emergency personnel.
One chopper already has arrived at the fire, and a heavy air tanker and two more helicopters are headed to the fire, according to scanner traffic.

Several other fires were also reported in the county between 1:15 and 1:30 p.m., shortly after a small lightning storm moved through the area.
One near Thomas Lane and South Foothills Highway in the Eldorado Springs area is contained, according to Brough.

Fires have also been reported near Greenbriar and Lehigh roads and in the area of Diagonal and Mineral between Boulder and Longmont, but Brough said the Bison Drive fire is the only fire not out or contained at the moment.

Kim Kobel, a spokeswoman with the Boulder Fire Department, said units are on standby should the county need assistance.

[American Patriot]

Good God.

Here's the local KKTV.COM feed.

http://www.kktv.com/video/live

[American Patriot]

Heads up MMCO, two planes (MAFFs C-130s) have been diverted to your location. We have two here, plus whatever commercial planes are in play.

The acreage is way over 5000, the winds are high, Mountain Shadows (several thousand people) under mandatory evac right now.

Queen's Canyon has fire activity in there, no structures involved at the moment.

The wind is high, 25 mph about, and blowing right up through the canyon fanning the flames at the moment.

/sigh

[American Patriot]

The fire is out of control here. It's moving rapidly northward. It's getting close to where Woodman and the freeway is I think from what I am seeing here.

[MinutemanCO]

I've heard that the Waldo fire is the number one priority in the nation and that half of all fire equipment in the US is in Colorado at this time.

[MinutemanCO]

If this new one blows up in Boulder County, this could be overwhelming. The winds up here are gusting as well. Temps hovering at about 98 degrees.