This video was created by videographer, Renette Saba-Jones. who had been contracted by the US Forest Service to document wildfires for use in training and education. Renette captured footage of the Waldo Canyon Fire after it made its run into Colorado Springs, Colorado and soon destroyed the West Side Mountain Shadows Community. She later put out a call for anyone who had any photos or video, so she could compile the completed video above. She did an outstanding job. I was surprised at the emotion that still welled up in me, the tears, as I watched this video (for a couple days we were on pre-evac notice, had both our vehicles packed up and ready to immediately leave…but never had to). On that fateful day when the fire burned up and over Queen’s Canyon from the 65 mph winds, myself and some other neighbors stood at the end of a street, watching it, and later, we had burned out debris drifting into our yard as large as 6 – 8 inches. No embers, just burned out debris. Our neighborhood was undamaged.
Here is a link to this video and some smaller clips.
The Waldo Canyon Fire raged from June 23 – July 10, 2012, and cost 346 homes and 2 lives.
The cause of the fire is still undetermined, though it was determined to have been human caused.
Rebuilding is well underway in Mountain Shadows, which is so nice to see, and the foothills burn areas had been mulched the end of last year…but there is still great concern for possible flooding this year.
Thank you, Renette, for all your excellent work on this video, and for sending this our way. And again, thank you to all who had been involved in fighting this fire. You have our undying gratitude.
Links from my posts on the fire:
Click here for Waldo Canyon Fire – Days 1 and 2.
Click here for Waldo Canyon Fire – Day 3.
Click here for Waldo Canyon Fire – Day 4.
Click here for Waldo Canyon Fire – Day 5.
Such a traumatic experience for those involved, those who loved them, and frightened neighbors of the tragedy. Wonderful people like Mandy Houk stepped up to the bat to help those who lost their homes. Many did. And to you Frank for honoring them with this memorial of all that was lost.
Thank you, Karen. Very nice of you to say that. Yeah, I heard a handful of those I know helped out, that was incredibly giving of them.
And I did try to volunteer, but everywhere I called was already full up.
I know there was also a fire up your way about the same time, but that kinda got lost on my radar due to, you know, all the smoke and flames, down here…hope no one we know lost life or home….
What a weird time.