The Waldo Canyon Fire (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Probably the largest and most well known fire that hit Colorado was the Waldo Canyon Fire of Colorado Springs. Of all the fires in Colorado, this is the one that I've heard the most about and seen the most news about. For me, I watched every day and prayed that my friend's homes would not be burned to ashes as the fire raged literally a ridge away. In fact, the picture I'm including to the right is of the fire which looks so far away when I was down there, but was actually just over the crest of that mountain. The smoke turned all of the sun's light to an orange glow, the air smelt of campfire ash, and while I was there the hot sun beat down.
I am so happy for my friend and her family, their house came out of this pretty close to undamaged. And just for reference, her house was literally right next to me as I took this photograph. I remember talking to her and she said that the fires were at one point traveling so fast and the flames so high that the fire fighters actually were spending all their time running away. She told me about how her neighbor's house was damaged from the ash that came through the window, how they were evacuated from their neighborhood and forced out of their homes. How for a few hellish nights she wasn't sure she would be going home. And even now, she is still telling me about how she walked through parts of town where she grew up, where she has memories, and it looks like a war zone. Cars melted, trees burnt or completely gone, and building's either ash piles on the ground or small remaining standings. I don't think I can write about this and really give justice to just how serious this fire was, how serious the repercussions and damages from the flames still are, or anything of the sort. What I can give is hope that other's can understand how enormous a problem this was.
As I drove back, I snapped a few more photographs of the fire. Now, to me the smoke coming off the mountain looks like a volcano had erupted here in Colorado. It was thick, red, and undeniably shocking to see even from far away. I'm also including this second picture because it shows just how big the fire was, which is slightly harder to tell from the first one. To the fire fighters that stood up in such a call of duty, and to the fire fighters that left their home states to come battle these flames and save the homes, thank you. You've rescued my friend's home from the flames and that alone is worth more than a lifetime of thanks from me. I'm sure there are many others who are happy you stood up as well!
The Flagstaff Mountain Fire (Boulder, Colorado)
Another fire that started burning at the same time as the Waldo Canyon fire was the Flagstaff Mountain fire in Boulder, Colorado. Luckily this fire did not get as out of control as the Waldo Canyon fire, for our fire fighting team was already spread thin! I have multiple friends that live in Boulder as well as my brother who is spending the summer up there right now. I'm told the smoke flowed down into the city one day, but for the most part the clouds stayed floating in the sky like a reminded that a fire was close by. Personally, I've actually been up Flagstaff Mountain, so I know how close it is to the town (another ridge away)!!
From one of my best friends living and working in Boulder, he said that when the fire really started breaking out he could see the clouds from his office window. When bored with work, he would watch the fumes rise up into the air. On television, I watched them trying to stop the flames from spreading with a fire retardant being thrown down on the mountain side.
I did not go to Boulder, but I can imagine just from the picture I've included. Now, both of these pictures were taken from Parker, Colorado, which is pretty far away from the mountain fires. Except the sun was a brilliant red (and actually much bigger in real life) in the photographs. This is an effect caused by the fire's smoke, which as it covered the setting sun in the distance, created that bright red. It looks brilliant in photography, but I had to keep telling myself how the sun was made, which was terrifying to think about all the lives and jobs on the line. It's hard to remember that people were evacuated for both of these, but I kept reminding myself never-the-less.
The High Park Fire (Fort Collins, Colorado)
I don't have any pictures of this fire, I never really went up to Fort Collins to see it, but I did have a friend come back to Littleton and talk to me about it. She said that she never really felt in any danger of the fire because this one was a little bit farther away, but that there was a lot of smoke in the air in the distance. One day, she walked out to her car and noticed it was covered with ash. All of the cars were covered with ash, along with everything else in the area.
Final Thoughts
I hope this doesn't seem too much like rambling, though I'm pretty sure it does. I just wanted to say thank you to the folks working hard to put these massive fires out. I want to tell my friend's that I'm happy they are safe and that I'm happy nothing bad happened to them. I want to tell the families that did lose something that I am sorry, that I hope they got out precious memories and items that can never be replaced, and that they can rebuild. So in truth, this is a story of hope, love, and reconstruction!
Thank you for all your support during the fire, and for checking on me so much. It meant the world to me. I'm so thankful my families home and neighborhood are safe, and heart broken for the families that lost their homes. Our communities will rebuild from these fires. I'm forever grateful to the first responders and firefighters, they are my heroes.
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