From the Chapel Hills Mall in north COS.

Deedles: Sorry I didn't respond. Yes we are in constant contact through cell phone. They live north of Chapel Hills Mall, and so far are OK. No evacuation yet where they are. We used to live right on the south boundary of the AF Academy, I can almost see my old house in MichelleDT's pic, along that ridge of homes. I lived through fires in California when we lived in Monterey. It was nothing like this.

We have lived in Fort Collins the past 15 years and this summer is crazy. It was unbelievable how fast this fire grew. The smoke and ash have been terrible in town, but I am so sorry for all of the people who have been uprooted and living in limbo the past two weeks. Friend lost house, but luckily they're safe and their horses too. It has been SO dry here. Hardly any snow this winter and barely a drop of rain. We got our first rain two nights ago and people were out whooping in the streets.

Oh my goodness! Hoping everyone here and their families are ok. We had bad fires not far from here about 3 years ago. Ash covering our yards, cars, etc and when our dogs went out, they came in smelling like BBQ.

geeze! prayers for those that live there and their families.

I've lived in areas with fire alerts. I do now. It's so scary. I hate that people burn - or even have outside fires (like my neighbors). It only takes 1 escaping ember... I do need to rake more around my place this next week!

These fires remind me of something I read recently (last few months maybe?) - that terrorist had a plan to do something like this. It was something like if they started several large fires in each state how much damage it would do to us - not just in money either. It's made me wonder since I heard these were set fires.

As I'm typing this in Littleton, I'm watching our 10:00 news with story after story of all the fires. It's so heartbreaking . . . But what's even scarier is the 4th of July holiday coming up. Although fireworks have been banned statewide, there will be idiots setting them off. Our state is so desperately dry after the dry winter and spring, and so many of the mountains are filled with dead pine trees from beetle kill. There are sections of the state (not involved in any of the current fires) that have been described as "a conflagration waiting to happen." I pray that we get through the next week with no new fires started by stupid humans. To all GWers in CO, I pray you and your families and animals are safe and that your homes are spared if you are near one these fires. God bless all those involved in fighting these fires.

>that terrorist had a plan to do something like this. It was something like if they started several large fires in each state how much damage it would do to us - not just in money either. It's made me wonder since I heard these were set fires.

Well. that's a nice out and more satisfying to believe than the reality, but the odds are high that it's nothing so logical. I used to live in an incredibly beautiful area of the AZ mountains that burnt to a crisp last year (including the ranch) in the Wallow Fire, which was started by an abandoned campfire. That took out an incredible amount of acreage of virgin ponderosa pine forest and there were no terrorists involved, only idiots.

I don't think terrorists care much about scenery, really.

My sympathies to everyone who's having to flee these fires. It's an awful, awful feeling.

I lost my home in 1988 in the 49er Fire in Northern California. I watch accounts of the fires in Colorado with prayer in my heart. It happens so fast and the leftovers never seem to go away.

Good luck Colorado!

My neighborhood was evacuated around 7:00 tonight. I fled around 6 o'clock as the surrounding area became engulfed in flames. It was the most horrifying thing I have ever experienced. I live in the Rockrimmon neighborhood that Joyce posted a picture of. We live on the top of a ridge and were supposed to move back into our house on Monday after 3 months of our entire upper level remodel. Before I left I went upstairs to see it for what might be the last time. We don't hold much hope that it will be saved at this time. This is a monstrous fire and to add to it, I am terrified with the safety of my son that lives in Boulder where another fire has started. Never in my lifetime would I have imagined anything this horrible. I am so thankful that all my friends are safe and that I have a mountain home where I can stay. Please pray for our beautiful state and the incredible firefighters. It won't be over anytime soon. :(

Weimom, my thoughts and prayers are with you. How heartbreaking to face losing a home at all, much less having just finished a renovation. So sorry, and hope it makes it through o.k. Glad you are safe.

Oh Weimom...I am so sorry! :( I will keep you and your family in my prayers. This is all just so awful. Stay safe!

Weimom, thoughts are with you and your family. How terribly heartbreaking.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that news, wish you safe and healthy.

I'm so sorry, Weimom. Unlike your home, your son can move and move fast, though I know you can't help but be afraid in the face of something so huge. I lived in SoCal where there were many large fires over the years, some approaching our home fairly close, but...I don't remember anything quite this bad so close.

Our little fishing trailer in Florida is on an estuary at Tampa Bay being hammered by TS Debbie. Our neighbor left for her daughter's house, so we don't know if the water's gotten in. It's our fun place, though, not our home. Good thing, because rising sea levels will take it eventually if a storm doesn't. What's really grim is that, with accelerating climate changes, it's likely we're going to be seeing a lot more disasters of all types and be spending larger and larger amounts of our national wealth fighting disasters and rebuilding what we already had, where we can.

Weimom and everyone else involved, we are praying for you! It is breaking my heart.

Nancy

Weimom, I'm so sorry, I just got up this morning and am afraid to even turn on the news.

We live in Woodmoor and our house would be toast if a fire started here. I am terribly worried about 4th of July coming up and have started making a list (that I should have made as soon as we moved here) of what I would take if I had to evacuate.

It makes me sick to think that someone may have started this intentionally... I hope that it was just a campfire or something like that. But there have been so many fires sprouting up, I have to be suspicious.

Here's a list of suggested documents to pack if you're expecting a possible evacuation. I saved it years ago and am so sorry not to be able to credit the source:

� Apartment and condo leases
� Home or other property deeds (mortgages, etc.)
� Estate documents
� Homeowner�s or renter�s insurance documents
� Wills
� Life insurance policies
� Inventory of possessions and their value
� List of important phone numbers (family, friends, etc.)
� Flood insurance documents
� Vehicle titles, leases, loan documents, etc.
� Financial statements (accounts, checks, tax returns, etc.)
� Stocks and bonds
� Copies of recent bills (power, water, etc.)
� Government financial assistance award letters
� Birth certificates or proof of citizenship
� Social Security cards
� Employment contracts or other legal documents
� Medical records, x-rays, benefits documents, etc.
� Education reports (report cards, acceptance letters)
� Passports
� Duplicate prescriptions from doctor
� Backup computer files (on a CD, DVD, etc.)
� Paperwork for your pets (medical records, registration, etc.)
� Copies of important keys

Huh? That gibberish at the front of the list showed as check boxes in the preview. Sorry for the mess.

smiling--I appreciate that list and any other lists anyone may have. We live in Spicewood, Texas and were 5 miles away from the Spicewood fires last summer. If the winds would have changed, things could have been different for us. The Colorado people are in my thoughts and prayers.

Weimom, I'm so sorry your home, your town, your state is under such threat of epic proportion. I too hope you and your family stay safe. And yes, those firefighters deserve extra protection and thanks!

Good list, but I'd move right to the top one's most truly special treasures, such as the baby footprints in plaster, or whatever, that can never be replaced.

BTW, this might inspire some of us to get to scanning and cloud-storing those precious family photos.

I'm in the COS Broadmoor area which is a safe area, about 5 miles SW of the fire. But believe me, reality is this fire can go anywhere at a moment. Which is what happened last night.

Sincere concern for those of you who have posted and are in the middle of all. The kids, even those who aren't in the midst of this, are having a terrible time emotionally too. Regardless of where they are living in the Springs, the smoke and eerie orange sky is discomforting.

Right now it looks like the fire is heading north, not a comfort state since what happened so quickly last night.

My daughter has lived here for 35 years. Speaking with her, she is so sad that homes, havens, history and the outdoors is being lost. We both discussed the "list" too. She is taking in animals of friends who were evacuated. The outpouring of our community has been huge.

Little is known about how this fire started. If it was a campfire, they were banned before this time. Even smokers cannot smoke outside, they have to be in their house. Charcoal grills aren't allowed. We have been on Red Alert for at least a couple of weeks.

What has been crazy is an arsonist set more than a dozen fires in Woodland Park. The firemen were on those in a minute. Woodland Park residents are on the west edge of the fire with possible evacuation.

Longmont, Estes Park and now Boulder. A dreadful summer for thousands.

My son and his family are in CO Springs. My grandaughter has sent photos of all the smoke outside. They aren't in danger yet.

I'm glad you all are reporting on the fires as dd's dear friend from college lives there.

Adding All of you to my prayer list.

How devastating.

Weimom. My thoughts are with you. Hopefully the rains will come soon

Pray for rain. Seriously.

Weimom, and other GW'ers who may be going thru this out in Colorado - I'm so sorry to hear of this tragedy you are all going thru. The tornados of last year are still fresh in everyone's mind here in Alabama. A bit different scenario, but loss of homes and possessions just the same for many people. My prayers go with you and your families.

Thank you everyone for your good wishes. Today was a much better day for the fire than yesterday and it looks like it is calming down a bit. We also heard that the fire has not yet reached our ridge and currently there is just a lot of extreme smoke damage. Sadly, we have quite a few friends who totally lost their homes. We are certainly not out of the woods by any means since the weather really determines everything, but at least we were given good news today and I'll take that!
Yes, outside playing, the tornadoes were unbelievable in Alabama last year. I grew up in Huntsville and most of my family is still in that area and Bham. I remember the horror and being so worried during that time. Mother Nature has become very brutal!

I'm so glad your house is still there, weimom. I hope they're able to keep the fire away from your ridge and that you'll be able to return soon. The waiting is so nerve wracking, even when the news is good.

We had huge fires here in So. CA just a few years ago. Our house was full with people and their pets evacuated from points further from the coast than us. A friend sharing our house didn't know for a week if her house was still standing or not. Texas was even worse last summer, and New Mexico is currently fighting the largest wildfire in their history. It's very scary. I really have to repeat this:

"There's compelling evidence that talking about western wildfires without mentioning climate change is like talking about lung cancer without mentioning cigarettes."

Yes. We're in the midst of an enormous, and dreadful, game change.

Weimom, I've been watching the fire news and am so glad to come on again to find you still here. Have a lovely smokey day.

Hope it's all good. Weimom?

Continued prayers for all out there.

Susannes1: Honestly. Do you think fires/floods/tornados/hurricanes, whatever haven't been happening since time began? The man-made climate change (notice how the phrase has slowly been morphed from global warming to climate change since the data shows the earth is and has been cooling for at least a decade now?) is always changing and always has and always will. I understand that it's become an absolutely inflexible and ironclad religion for so many though.

meme
(noun)

1 : an idea, belief or belief system, or pattern of behavior that spreads throughout a culture either vertically by cultural inheritance (as by parents to children) or horizontally by cultural acquisition (as by peers, information media, and entertainment media)

Climate change is a meme. Meme doesn't equal truth, it is a belief.

Sorry for hijacking but that climate change business makes me crazy.

"Epistemic Closure": an immunity to being influenced by facts.
You can hold your breath and pound your fists, but it's fact based, and all the magical thinking you can muster isn't going to negate the facts.
"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle" George Orwell
Casey

Thank you for asking that, Rosie. I've been wondering about weimom, too. I hope we hear from her soon.

I had been hoping the media was exaggerating as usual about this fire as I am just sick at heart thinking about the destruction that is going on in our country. The pictures show that it is truly worse than they are reporting. It doesn't seem like it is getting enough attention on the news after seeing these pictures. They are all wrapped up in their political stories. It looks like an inferno has engulfed the entire area. I am sick thinking about the people and animals and then in the long run the trees that took years to grow. I hope the horses at that ranch were rescued. I have spent a lot of time in CO and it is so beautiful there. When we had the fires in Georgia we could even smell that awful smoke all the way in Atlanta on certain days. The smoke is awful even if you aren't in the path of the fire, too. I hope that all of your relatives and families are ok. Prayers going up.

Just saw this thread - so sorry for everyone affected.
Weimom keeping everything crossed that your home is spared.

Agree on the climate change - the weather all over has been crazy. Definite shifts going on.

Such a heartbreaking tragedy. The news reports have not shown the devastation I see here.
The families affected...the animals and the land will be first in my thoughts and my prayers.
As a child, I spent every holiday in that beautiful state.

The pictures are breathtaking... not in a good way. Wow. I'm so sorry for everyone involved. I hope everyone stays safe.

I don't log in to the forum often anymore as I think it may jinx my hopefully soon to be remodel, but I just wanted to say I am thinking of you all who might be affected by this fire. I can always remember watching throughout the years the news coverage of fires throughout California, etc. and being in awe. Living in Louisiana I have no concept of wildfire destruction but always think of them as being one of the most scary forms of mother nature (generally started by the unaware). I guess maybe because it is not what is the norm (form of destruction) here and perhaps the fact that it could have been prevented. Prayers to you all. Those pictures are surreal.

The evacuation order for our neighborhood was lifted last night and we returned home this afternoon. We are so fortunate, there was no damage to our home. The only thing we have is ash, soot, and smoke smell in our garage. I need to go out to clean it tomorrow. The utilities were turned off during evacuation so my husband had to manually close the garage and as a result there was a small opening where the door would not close flush. Ironically we stored our best furniture pieces in the garage during remodel so they would not be subjected to extreme temperature changes as the POD in the driveway. We haven't opened the pod yet so hopefully the smoke won't be too strong on our furnishings. My powder bath furniture vanity had arrived the morning of our evacuation and was out of the box in the garage. There is a lot of ash on it but I am sure it will clean up just fine. I am so blessed to still have my home. I have already heard of 3 friends that totally lost theirs, one of which fled with only the clothes she was wearing. When I returned today I drove over to the next ridge and could see the tremendous devastation down below us. Believe me when I say, the media did not in any way over exagerate anything. I will certainly never forget the panic and fear of literally fleeing my neighborhood. There were 347 homes lost, but many thousands were saved and that is nothing short of a miraculous job from the firefighters and their team. Thank you all so much for the prayers, good wishes, and concern! It sure meant a lot.

The evacuation order for our neighborhood was lifted last night and we returned home this afternoon. We are so fortunate, there was no damage to our home. The only thing we have is ash, soot, and smoke smell in our garage. I need to go out to clean it tomorrow. The utilities were turned off during evacuation so my husband had to manually close the garage and as a result there was a small opening where the door would not close flush. Ironically we stored our best furniture pieces in the garage during remodel so they would not be subjected to extreme temperature changes as the POD in the driveway. We haven't opened the pod yet so hopefully the smoke won't be too strong on our furnishings. My powder bath furniture vanity had arrived the morning of our evacuation and was out of the box in the garage. There is a lot of ash on it but I am sure it will clean up just fine. I am so blessed to still have my home. I have already heard of 3 friends that totally lost theirs, one of which fled with only the clothes she was wearing. When I returned today I drove over to the next ridge and could see the tremendous devastation down below us. Believe me when I say, the media did not in any way over exagerate anything. I will certainly never forget the panic and fear of literally fleeing my neighborhood. There were 347 homes lost, but many thousands were saved and that is nothing short of a miraculous job from the firefighters and their team. Thank you all so much for the prayers, good wishes, and concern! It sure meant a lot.

So happy to hear that your home made it through!
I can't imagine what it must have been like.... and what it must be like for those who's homes didn't make it.

I hope the miracle of your home's survival makes you even happier with your new space when you move back in!

So glad your home made it, and I'm sure everything will clean up well -- other than possibly upholstery, but they can try to clean that. My heart goes out to your friends and all those who have lost their homes. I hope they can heal and rebuild with plenty of support.

Continued thoughts and prayer for those still fighting the fires and dealing with losses.

I echo all the sentiment here- cant imagine the horror Colorado and her people are being put through.

The firefighters are true heros- I cant believe some of them are having to fight to get health insurance after all they do in these situations.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all in need.

Weimom, so happy to hear your home survived. Prayers for other GWers/family/friends and everyone affected by this terrible tragedy!

Thank goodness, Weimom! God has truly blessed you as well as countless others in this incredible firestorm of destruction and misery. For those whose story is less fortunate at the moment, or who are still in the active path of the flames, I join with everyone else here in offering up prayers of support, endurance and hope. I can't imagine what the people of Colorado are experiencing. But, I ask God to bless them --especially the firefighters and various rescue and support teams. Prayers for the animals and gifts of the earth as well. Oh, no way to say it other than may God bless and protect you all!

I'm in Highlands Ranch, CO and my heart aches for the communities that are having to deal with the fires. Hopefully we will soon see the rain that is so desperately needed.

Here is a different perspective of the Waldo Canyon fire. An art student made a 5 day time lapse video that is truly dramatic and well worth the 15 minute time investment to watch it. You see the fire just explode on Tuesday. The white structures at the base of the ridge are Air Force Academy buildings and Chapel.

Here is a link that might be useful: 5 day time lapse Waldo Canyon Fire

The scope of the fire in Colorado is overwhelming. A wildfire started in my neighborhood last Friday from a car parking on weeds. My son saw the flames and we got out. 950 homes were evacuated. Four homes burned to the ground. It just happened so fast. Flames got within about 100 feet of our home. We stayed in the Red Cross shelter overnight. I have never seen such an outpouring of support. We are back in our home now and we are fine. God bless the firefighters!

Several more new fires are blazing in Utah, starting in the last week. The estimate is almost 200,000 acres have burned in Utah this year and it is only the first of JULY!

But today we have RAIN!!! Praying that rain (with no lightning) moves into Colorado.

Weimom, so happy to hear from you and that you, your family and home are safe and sound! Yes, the firefighters are to be commended for an outstanding job. I'm just sorry anyone had to lose their lives in this fire.