Waldo Canyon started burning on Saturday, around noon. Right now, there are 15,342 acres burning. 32,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Yesterday around 4PM, the worst case scenario occurred. There was a thunderstorm on the other side of the canyon which contained 65 mile per hour winds and literally pushed the fire over the ridge and into the Northwest part of Colorado Springs, which is residential. As of this hour many many homes have been lost. Most thankfully, there have been no injuries!! We are about 20 miles away, a bit north and east and we are in a high spot. The pictures posted here were when this virtual explosion occurred. It was within that hour when we began to think about really preparing to evacuate. I received a recorded phone call from Medtronic, the supplier of Edward's diabetic equipment 'reminding' him of what to bring in case of evacuation. A shudder ran down our spines at that moment.
These pictures were taken from outside my front door, and down the street at around the 4 o'clock hour. One of our neighbors brought out a very powerful pair of binoculars which he set up on a tripod so we could see what was happening on the Ridge. We saw the houses burning well into the night....clearly. This is a historically challenging fire, where all agencies and jurisdictions are working in unison. Please be assured that we are okay. The information is non-stop and we will heed all warnings. Again, we are 20 miles away. We would ask that you pray for the people of Colorado Springs, for the firefighters, for the newscasters, for all the very important decision making people who have been extraordinary, and for the weather cooperating. Will most definitely keep you posted.
