Colorado Wildfires

[CaptOblivious]

Well, I seem to have moved to Colorado Springs at the wrong time. Waldo Canyon Fire is bearing down on the neighborhoods to our immediate north, and we're packing to evacuate ahead of the official notice. Will probably be away for a few days. There are some nine fires burning across Colorado right now, and it seems to be getting worse by the day. My thoughts are with those who have lost and will lose their houses and livelihoods.

[bikkuri bahn]

Hope they get those fires under control, and that your home is unaffected.  I used to spend my summers in southern Colorado, don't recall fires being such a huge problem as they are now.

[cteno4]

Capt,

 

I hope all goes well if you do get evacuated and your new home is safe.

 

The good news is that they are much more precautionary with the evacuations since Oakland.

 

Best wishes.

 

Jeff

[Sir Madog]

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!

Stay safe!

[CaptOblivious]

Thanks everyone! Looks like our home is (now) safe, but we've just arrived in Little Rock, at my in-laws. We're going to hang out here for a while, and my grandparents' in Baton Rouge, and take a working holiday.

[cteno4]

Capt

 

Glad to hear the house is safe and you all are getting a little forced vacation. Much better to spend time with your grandparents (and the inlaws) than breathe smoke filled air at home! Enjoy!

 

Jeff

[Mr Frosty]

Do take care.

[Kabutoni]

I can only wish you all the best and hope that nature spares you and your well being. Keep safe and stay strong!

[KenS]

Glad to hear you got out okay and that your house is safe.

[westfalen]

We're no strangers to bushfires in Australia, in our experience you probably did the right thing by getting out just in case. Houses can be replaced, people can't.

[Bernard]

Hi Don - glad to know your family is safe and so is your house....how is your little girl taking this all in? (It can be scary for a child)

[CaptOblivious]

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes. Acadia, my daughter, is taking it all in stride. At least we have been spared having to explain to her why the house isn't there anymore!

[cteno4]

definitely not fun. our house burned (kitchen gutted) while we were away for a weekend when i was about 10. only the kitchen burned totally furnace exploded), rest of the house was heat and smoke damaged. what did not melt had smoke/soot baked onto just about every surface it was so thick. pretty much totaled 90% of our stuff. it was tough, but i just took it as an adventure and it didnt really scar me at all. but dont have much of any toys from my childhood pre 10, but vivid memories of the first few new toys i got right after the fire (dinky american la france fire truck and aussie police/emergency car)! luckily i didnt get into model trains till the next year.

 

funny thing was the only thing i do have is a large collection of hand blown nautical crystal that my parents got for a song a an auction. it was housed in a built in cabinet in the dining room not 6 foot from the main fire and only one glass popped. smoke came off easily from the crystal with some cleaning they did for us. I now have the collection and its a reminder of that fire every time i use them as they are so delicate in yet they survived the fire while most everything else didnt!

 

Also had two fiends loose their houses in the oakland hills firestorm in '91. luckily they made it out well in advance of the firestorm, but w/o any possesions. was very weird and sad visiting a few days after the fire to help them look at the property. nothing left except the foundation as the fires burned so hot and fast everything went. glass puddled in places. i found one strange coil on the cement in one place and realized it was a cassette tape. touched it and it literally vaporized. i realized all that was left was the oxide coating. was so horrific for my one fiend as she bought the house (her first) 6 months before the fire and the other friend it was their family house for 30 years. but both rebuilt beautifully luckily, but everything gone.

 

fires not good.

 

jeff

[linkey]

We don't get bushfires, we get Wildfires (yes there is a technical difference between the two and the RFS - Rural Fire Service, CFA - Country Fire Authority and other fire Agencies can explain it) how do I know this is due to I have done a Wildfire training as part if we (SES - State Emergency Service) get called to assist with evacuation we need to know what the fire pattern will do.

 

Otherwise I hope everything gets under control and your property is safe Capt.