Wild Fires

[MinutemanCO]

Looks like the Flagstaff fire is at 300 acres with 100 firefighters working to stop it.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-...00-acres-2-400

Boulder's Flagstaff Fire: Blaze at 300 acres
More than 100 firefighters worked overnight -- and in the face of shifting winds -- to battle the 300-acre Flagstaff Fire and to prevent it from spreading into the city of Boulder.

A federal Type 1 team, which was pre-positioned in Jefferson County, is expected to arrive Wednesday morning to defend against the wind-whipped wildland fire that was sparked early Tuesday afternoon.

Daytime firefighting efforts in upper Skunk Canyon were led by an air assault, including a massive C-130 air tanker dropping slurry. Shifting winds moved the fire north, south and east, delaying initial efforts for a ground attack, said Kim Kobel, Boulder police and fire spokeswoman.

The fire was burning in unpopulated, rough terrain, with spotting out in front of the blaze.

"The fire is burning in several directions at once," Kobel said.

A task force of 40 firefighters from the Boulder Fire Department was sent to create defensible lines and check on the spot fires, visible from Boulder on the ridge behind the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

The spot fires were about a quarter-mile ahead of the Flagstaff Fire, which had not jumped the ridge, said Boulder County Sheriff's Cmdr. Rick Brough.

As of Tuesday night, the fire continued to burn with no containment, however no structures were threatened, Brough said. Nearly 30 homes were evacuated along Flagstaff Road and Bison Drive, he said.

"We're about one ridge over from the city of Boulder," Brough said.

Bill Holmes and his wife, Glenda, were among the first people to spot the fire. Their home on Bison Drive was less than mile from the flames when they evacuated, he said.

"When it was really raging, the wind was probably blowing at 25 miles per hour at least," Bill Holmes said. "(The fire) went straight up the hill on South Boulder Peak."

Pre-evacuation orders went out to 2,416 south Boulder phone numbers in the neighborhoods of Table Mesa, Devil's Thumb and Highland Park, which are bordered by Dartmouth Avenue to the north, Greenbriar Avenue to the south, Broadway to the east and the foothills to the west.

Flagstaff Road was closed to all non-emergency personnel. NCAR on Table Mesa Drive just west of Boulder also elected to evacuate Tuesday.

The evacuation center at East Boulder Recreation Center, 5660 Sioux Drive, remained open overnight.

Kobel urged residents in the pre-evacuation areas to be "ready to move, if necessary," cautioning that the unpredictable weather and wind conditions combined with dry terrain created a very combustible situation.

"Conditions are at some of the most extreme levels we've ever seen in Colorado," she said.

The fire started near the 1500 block of Bison Drive in the Walker Ranch area around 1:15 p.m. and was believed to have been sparked by lightning, although an official cause has yet to be determined, Brough said. At least four other small grassfires were reported after the early afternoon thunderstorm.

The other fires were stamped out, but the Flagstaff Fire shot up through the rugged terrain. Given the placement of the fire and the winds, the first attack on the blaze came from the air by helicopters, air tankers and planes.

By Tuesday evening, about 200 firefighters from 11 agencies were working the fire, and crews were assembling at Fairview High School in case the wildfire burned into the city.

"This is the structure protection plan," said Jeff Long, battalion chief for Boulder Fire Rescue. "We are staying here in case it takes a turn for the worse. As long as the city is threatened, we'll be here."

[Ryan Ruck]

Not sure exactly where this was shot.

[American Patriot]

I think that was here in Colorado Springs. I saw that shot yesterday on television live.

MMCO they said they have over 1000 firefighters here right now, plus a shitload of planes and choppers trying to beat it back. They made this one the priority (which is surprising considering how big the High Park fire was).

[Ryan Ruck]

Yeah, it was definitely CS, just not sure where exactly. It didn't say.

[MinutemanCO]

I think they made the Waldo Canyon fire in the Springs the priority was related to its proximity to such a major population center. The High Park fire was essentially contained in mountainous areas, despite the 250 or so homes lost.

[MinutemanCO]

I had an interesting (and a little conspiratorial) thought just now. The fires in Colorado, with all the land that could have caught fire naturally, just happen to be immediately adjacent to three major cities - Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Boulder. Denver isn't at risk because it's 10 or so miles from the wildlands. The three other cities back right up to the pine beetle devastated forests of the foothills.

[vector7]

Waldo Canyon Fire, Colorado Springs June 26 2012

Published on Jun 26, 2012 by xAirForceMikex


Video taken from the Air Force Academy
Note: When I said 'awesome', I meant that the color of the sky was awesome not the fact that people are suffering from the fire.

***We were evacuated shortly after I posted this video***

My heart goes out to everyone who lost their homes.

[vector7]

'Monster' Colorado fire doubles in size

32,000 people evacuated in Colorado Springs area; 'further trouble' from weather expected

Unexpected 65-mile-an-hour wind gusts helped to accelerate the massive, fast-moving wildfire in Colorado that firefighters thought they had under control. NBC’s Miguel Almaguer reports.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

By Miguel Llanos msnbc.com
updated 1 hour 43 minutes ago

Fire crews outside Colorado Springs, Colo., expected more weather trouble on Wednesday in what the local fire chief called a "monster event" that doubled in size overnight and has forced 32,000 people to flee.

Heavy smoke made for unhealthy air in and around the city. After jumping fire lines Tuesday, the towering blaze has now burned 24 square miles and an undetermined number of homes.

While crews should get a break from the heat, a forecast for thunderstorms could mean unpredictable winds.

"We expect further trouble from the weather today," incident commander Rich Harvey said at a press briefing. "We do expect all of our lines to be challenged today."

Colorado Springs Fire Chief Rich Brown called the Waldo Canyon Fire a "monster event" that is "not even remotely close to being contained." The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Tuesday night, the community of Mountain Shadows, northwest of Colorado Springs, appeared to be enveloped in an orange glow.

People were "freaking out" as they fled Tuesday night, local resident Kathleen Tillman told the Denver Post. "You are driving through smoke. It is completely pitch black, and there is tons of ash dropping on the road."


Rick Wilking / Reuters Smoke from the Waldo Canyon Fire engulfs Interstate 25 north of Colorado Springs, Colo., Tuesday evening.

"This is a fire of epic proportions," Brown said at a briefing Tuesday night.

"It was like looking at the worst movie set you could imagine," Gov. John Hickenlooper added after flying over the fire. "It's almost surreal. You look at that, and it's like nothing I've seen before."

Brown insisted that "many, many homes" were saved by firefighters.

Hickenlooper told anxious residents that "we have all the support of the U.S. government. We have all the support of the state of Colorado. And we want everybody here to know that."

He emphasized that Colorado was open to tourism, saying various fires had affected just a half-percent of all public lands and perhaps 400 of 10,000 campground sites.

Among the evacuees were cadets and staff living in one section of the sprawling U.S. Air Force Academy. Flames crested a ridge high above the campus on Tuesday, forcuing more than 2,100 residents there to flee.

A new class of 1,045 cadets will still check in on Thursday but at a different section of the campus. The academy said the entire campus would be closed Wednesday to all visitors and non-essential staff.

Colorado is battling 12 large fires, its worst fire season in history, and other states across the West are being taxed as well.

To the north in Boulder County, 26 homes were evacuated Tuesday when lightning sparked a wildfire. No structures were immediately threatened, but the National Center for Atmospheric Research closed as a precaution.

Wildfires leave Colorado tourism high and dry

The state's largest blaze is the 136-square-mile High Park Fire, which has destroyed 257 homes and killed one woman. That fire was triggered by lightning on June 9 and is nearly contained.

Most of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana have seen red flag warnings in recent days, meaning extreme fire danger.

The West is seeing "a super-heated spike on top of a decades-long warming trend," Derek Arndt, head of climate monitoring at the National Climatic Data Center, told the Associated Press.

Although the fire season got off to an early start in the West, the number of fires and acreage burned nationwide is still below the 10-year average for this time of year.

Elsewhere in the West:

• In Utah, a woman was found dead Tuesday in a blaze that consumed at least two dozen homes. Her body was found during a damage assessment of the 60-square-mile Wood Hollow Fire near Indianola. The fire was 15 percent contained and evacuations were issued in Fairview, a town of about 1,100 residents.
• In New Mexico, a fire that burned nearly 70 square miles west of Ruidoso was 90 percent contained, with many residents allowed to return home.
• In Montana, a wildfire just 2 miles north of Helena destroyed four homes and forced people out of 200 homes. Gov. Brian Schweitzer issued a state of emergency for four counties.
• In Wyoming, a wildfire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest grew from about 300 acres to 2,000 acres Tuesday, marking the first major wildfire of the season there.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Photos: Wildfires ravage Western states Part the Waldo Canyon Fire moves into subdivision north of Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, June 26. Colorado Springs Fire Chief Rich Brown on Wednesday called it a "monster event" that is "not even remotely close to being contained." It has forced 32,000 people to flee. (Gaylon Wampler / AP)

[American Patriot]

I believe a majority of those images were from the Mountain Shadows area.

I understood the "awesome" comment, I made the same remarks after seeing the fires up close and personal Saturday and again yesterday.

After thinking this through carefully this may NOT have been Al Qaeda, it may have been the ELF... Earth Liberation Front. Those fuckers are all over this area. As to MMCO's comments about three major population centers, you're correct because Al Qaeda wants to kill a lot of people and destroy property.

ELF wants to destroy property of RICH people and anyone that put those "ugly eyesores on the mountain" (Homes).

So both groups are suspect in my opinion. And given the article Mal posted and we heard on television last night about the "bald white guy arsonist" it occurs to me he would more fit into the ELF group (age, race, etc) than to a Muslim based terrorist group.

[vector7]

Colorado's 'Epic Firestorm' Reveals Danger of Air Force Cuts


http://www.weeklystandard.com/print/...ts_647897.html



"...Colorado's 'Epic Firestorm' Reveals Danger of Air Force Cuts..." [of dozens of C-130s which are the aerial work-horses of firefighting]

[American Patriot]

Yeah and dipshit is coming in Friday. It's a bullshit, get my face on tv political fucking move.

OBAMA! STAY FUCKING HOME, WE DO NOT WANT YOU HERE!

You might be in DANGER from the FIRE! Stay the fuck out of Colorado because you aren't getting our vote this year. Asswipe fucker.

[vector7]

Colorado Burns. Are Obama’s Environmental and Defense Policies to Blame?

The PJ Tatler ^ | June 27th, 2012 | Bryan Preston
Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 3:27:48 PM by Avoiding_Sulla

Colorado is suffering wildfires this summer, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes, with our own Stephen Green possibly among them. If Colorado’s experience this year is anything like Texas’ experience last year, then it can expect little to no help from the federal government. But Texas is a red state, Colorado is a swing state, so perhaps there’s hope that Obama won’t quite go Soviet on it as he did on Arizona on Monday. Still, the Obama administration has slashed the US Air Force budget by about $4 billion. Sequestration threatens even more cuts. This is relevant to the wildfires because it takes aircraft to fight them. But before we get to that, environmental policy may already stand in the way of putting the fires out, according to an editorial in the Colorado Springs Gazette:

Part of the problem is red tape and vague policy regarding use of military aircraft to put out fires, even when they burn federal property. Part of it involves intentional interference with aerial fire suppression. Part of the problem is the Obama administration. Environmentalists have fought the use of slurry for years, which may or may not explain why Obama seems to lack enthusiasm for a robust tanker fleet. Environmentalists sued to stop the use of fire retardant after it killed 50 steelhead trout in the Santa Ynez River near Santa Barbara, Calif., in 2009. An earlier lawsuit involved the accidental dumping of between 1,000 and 2,000 gallons of fire retardant into Oregon’s Fall River in 2002, a mistake that killed all fish in the river. That mishap involved a slurry formula that is no longer used. As a result of the most recent lawsuit, the Forest Service adopted rules that prevent dropping slurry within 300 feet of streams and lakes except when human lives are at risk. Forest officials say the rules won’t harm firefighting efforts. We hope that is true. Even if it is, we know that a shortage of planes to drop retardants most certainly hinders firefighting throughout the country. That’s common sense.

Indeed. But common sense is uncommon in Obama’s Washington. The Weekly Standard follows up on those aircraft Colorado needs.

A C-130 fitted with the Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) can drop 3,000 gallons of fire-retardant material in 5 seconds, and reload in just 15 minutes. This tempo is crucial to containing wildfires like the one devastating Colorado Springs. However, of a current fleet of nearly 380 C-130s, only eight can be fitted with the MAFFS—and four of them are already in the skies over Colorado. With another fire looming in the north of the state, there is no excess capacity to help protect civilian areas. That means thousands of exhausted firefighters on the ground are without enough of the crucial support they need to control the fires. All this raises concerns about President Obama’s defense budget, which cuts 65 C-130s from the fleet over the next four years. While that will leave 318 C-130s, the demands on the fleet are not shrinking in Afghanistan or other places. Nor did the Air Force have much choice in the matter. The Air Force took the brunt of Pentagon budget cuts in the 2013 budget, shrinking by 4 percent (or roughly $4 billion dollars), after having a flat budget since 2004. Since 2001, over 500 aircraft have been retired, and another 300 will be scrapped by 2017. All this is happening while demand for the Air Force increases: The service flew approximately 400 sorties per day in Afghanistan and Iraq during 2011, while also fighting in Libya and delivering thousands of tons of disaster relief aid to Japan after its earthquake and tsunami. C-130s have been central to all these operations, and the proposed cuts will reduce airlift capacity among all the Air Force’s components: active, reserve, and guard. Sequestration would be even worse, mandating equal percentage cuts down to the program level across the service, with no flexibility for Air Force leadership to target the cuts. But as the wildfire in Colorado shows, readiness and flexibility are sometimes needed at home as much as abroad. Cutting more C-130s puts a greater strain on the entire Air Force fleet.

Pay close attention to Obama’s priorities on this. Will he put trout ahead of swing state voters? His administration already took three days to respond, a timeline that got George W. Bush clobbered in the press despite the fact that most of the problems during Hurricane Katrina were local.

[Ryan Ruck]

This is supposed to be near what was the Flying W.

[Ryan Ruck]

[Ryan Ruck]

[Ryan Ruck]

[Ryan Ruck]

[Ryan Ruck]

[Ryan Ruck]

LiveLeak: Conflagration! Waldo Canyon Fire, Colorado Springs June 26 2012-Airforce Pilot Calmly Films Massive Wildfire From His Home

[Ryan Ruck]

LiveLeak: Fire Retardant Drop In Back Yard