The Waldo Canyon Fire will be talked about for years to come, probably decades. (We're still talking about Haymen, and that was 10 years ago.) It started in (coincidentally...or not) Waldo Canyon just to the west of Colorado Springs on June 23 (my birthday). Mountainous terrain does not make firefighting easy, and it soon spread. The town of Manitou Springs was evacuated. A ritzy neighborhood between Manitou and Garden of the Gods was evacuated. Glen Eyrie was closed. (And the church picnic for which I had paid $5 to attend, was cancelled....as it was to be held on the grounds of Glen Eyrie.) Up til this point, I was at my parents house in the south Denver area, celebrating my birthday. Upon hearing the picnic was cancelled, and much of Colorado Springs was covered with smoke, I stayed put for a while longer. I returned on Sunday evening, Jun 24th, to a smoke-filled sky. Monday came, and with it a few more evacuations, though Manitou Springs residents were allowed to return home. The fire was starting to spread north a bit, so a few neighborhoods on the west side were in potential danger. Garden of the Gods was closed. Monday night I could see flames from my condo on the southeast side of town. I was over 10 miles away.
Here is the photo that I did take about 5:30 pm of the smoke and clouds that I could see during my drive home from work.
As we would find out later, in that one afternoon and evening the fire almost tripled in size, destroyed 346 homes, and killed 2 people. (A couple in their 70's....no one is sure why they didn't evacuate.) Another photo of the smoke, taken at 9:00 pm Tuesday night, from downtown Co Spgs.
As it stands now, the fire is almost 100% contained, and people are returning to their homes...if they have a home to return to. President Obama visited, and the governor. It was on national news, and everyone made a big deal about it--the most destructive fire in the history of Colorado.
Watching it play out in the media, and hearing the stories, it makes you think. What is really important? If you had two hours to pack your car of anything that you could fit in, with the idea that a forest fire was racing toward your house....what would you grab? What would you leave? One thing I learned through the stories I've heard....don't forget to pack a suitcase like you're going on a trip. Even those whose homes were spared, they still were away from their homes for a week or more. One mom talked about trying to pick things for each of her kids, who were away at camp. I would have enough struggle making those decisions for myself, let alone for someone else. Photos, financial records, those are portable things that cannot be replaced. But what about the antique furniture handed down in your family for generations? You can't fit that in a Honda CRV, or a Mini Cooper, or even a Suburban. You'd probably want your computer, but what about the love notes exchanged between you and your spouse back when you were dating? Maybe a favorite outfit, and your most comfortable pair of jeans (or sweatpants, if that's your style.) What about your personal journals, or original artwork created by members of your family?
What would you pack in your your car? You've got two hours or less, and the fire is coming fast and furious. Choose wisely.
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