Waldo Canyon Fire - Up Close and Personal

Below are some images of the Waldo Canyon Fire. Most are taken from Manitou Springs, less than a mile from where the fire started. The fire came as close as 0.7 miles from the edge of the town; about a mile from my house. We were evacuated at 1:00am on June 24th, 2012. We were allowed to voluntarily return to our homes at 8:00pm that evening. We remained on pre-evacuation status until the fire was contained.

The night of June 26th, as has been commonly coined, The Fire Storm, we sat in a restaurant just down the street from Garden of the Gods around 5:00pm. Outside, ash fell in chunks and you couldn't see further than 100 yards. As we tried to make our way west on Garden of the Gods rd, all roads were blocked and we were diverted south. Within an hour, the fire moved down into Mountain Shadows, just blocks from where we had been eating.

There has been a constant whirr of helicopters and C1-30's. The fire truck sirens became a white noise in the background of the day. I am thankful for the consistent work of the fire fighters and their protection as they continue to contain what is left of the fire.

Myself and my neighbor - taken at about 12:30p on June 23rd

Close up at 12:30pm on June 23rd, 2012

Photo at 1:30pm on June 23rd, 2012

Photo at 3:00pm on June 23rd

Taken from my parking lot at about 3:00p

Too dark to really seen anything, but as soon as it went dark, the mountain range surrounding Manitou glowed red - this was taken from my porch at about 10:00pm on June 23rd.

This was taken, late morning, June 26th, 2012 from Garden of the Gods. Later this evening, the fire moved into Mountain Shadows of Colorado Springs. 

The fire just behind Garden of the Gods.

Late afternoon, June 26th, 2012 image from the Broadmoor Hotel.

Over 1500 firefighters descended on the fire over the next 10 days. Many fields near the fire became campgrounds for the first responders. We were so thankful for every single one of them and their safety.