Kruzin: Colorado Fires

[Helevitia]

Kruzin,

How are things over there? You staying out of the path of the fire? Hope all is well.

Dave

[Rags]

I think the only burning that Kruzin has to worry about is one that is easily cured with some pennicillin.

Rags

[Kruzin]

Things are not pretty around here right now.
The whole city is smokey and ashes are everywhere.

I am not in any danger myself. The fires are miles away from here, and they won't likely get to me this deep in the 'burbs.
Unfortunatly, my sister, dad, and uncle all live in the mountains very near the fires. Sis and Uncle are on the standby list for eveacuation, dad's area will be next if it keeps getting worse.

What's worse is they don't know it. They are all on a houseboat on Lake Powell right now, and probably haven't even heard about the fires. I have been trying to get them all on their cell phones for days, but there is no reception out there. Last time they went to Powell was the week of 9/11. They didn't hear about that till almost a week after it happened. So if the evac order does come down, and the fire gets to their homes (God forbid), they will have no chance to get anything out. They're not due back till Sunday.

The good news is that FEMA has ponied up some help, and hundreds of fire fighters from all over the country are being shipped in to help, so hopefully they can start to get a handle on things...

[Technoid]

Not a funny prospect...

Hope you reach them

[Wombat]

This fire is huge. I'm about 100 miles north off all this, and our skies have been hazy the past few days. Pretty impressive considering that the winds here are East-West.

[Dogbert]

Kruzin,

I hope your firefighters manage somehow to control this huge fire and bring it to a halt.
Anyway, at least your family is in a lake and not camping in the woods.

Good luck there...

[Kruzin]

It would help the firefighters if there weren't so many morons in the world.
Aside from the moron who started this fire (it's believed to be from a careless campfire), yesterday some fighters had to be pulled from the big fire to attend to 2 smaller fires that they are sure where intenionally set

[Kruzin]

And yes, it's a HUGE fire.
Last I heard it was nearing 90,000 acres. The biggest fire in Colorado history. The area covered by the fire is about equal to the size of the entire city of Denver, plus DIA.
Not to mention the other 5 or 6 wild fires scattered throughout the state...

[Dogbert]

So many dead trees and animals...
Reminds me of the Australian fire not so long ago.

[BuddMan]

I don't even have a TV so I didn't even know about it until I read it here. I don't live too far from Colorado, some of the nicest country in the U.S. Hope things turn for the better up there.

[Kruzin]

Well, it looks a little better ATM than it did yesterday...

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HAYMAN FIRE
Updated June 12, 2002 1:00 p.m.

The Douglas County Sheriff's office said the Hayman fire slowed Wednesday morning.
The Sheriff's Department said Wednesday afternoon that neighborhoods that had been strongly encouraged to evacuate Tuesday should now remain on standby. Spokesman Tim Moore says while his office is moderately downgrading the urgency, people should still be ready to leave quickly if the winds shift.
Thunderstorms over the area Tuesday dumped some rain and slowed the flames.
Sgt. Attila Denes told 9NEWS that there were no new evacuations ordered Wednesday morning and firefighters were in a "wait and see" situation as they watch wind speed and fire direction for the fifth day. Winds are currently calm in the area.
A Type 1 team is planning to attack the fire from the north Wednesday to build containment lines. Winds blew the fire back on itself and to the south on Tuesday, so firefighters are working to get the upper hand on the north ridge. Slurry bombers will also attempt an aerial attack.
The fire has officially burned 86,925 acres and is just five percent contained. With the unpredictable winds in the area, firefighters are unsure if that containment will hold.


Started: Saturday, about 55 miles southwest of Denver in the Pike National Forest.
Size: 86,925 acres.
Containment: 5 percent.
Evacuations: 13,000 people asked to leave around town of Sedalia in Douglas County and residents of 2,400 houses urged to evacuate in Jefferson County. In Teller County, residents of about 400
houses ordered to leave.
Damage: 21
On Scene: About 546 firefighters, but fire was too dangerous to allow them in path of fire. 800 more firefighters on the way.
Cause: Illegal campfire. Officials were searching for suspects.
Cost: $20 million

[The PIT]

Well I hope the fire remains contained and then put out. The silly sods that started this should go to jail for a long time. How long will be before some half dead brain cell burns a whole city down.

[KvHagedorn]

Ken, If you've got the keys to your folk's house, I would be on the safe side and go up there and bring home the important things, like family pictures and such. Hope things don't get that dire, but you can't be too careful.

[ALBPM]

The Slurry Bombers are coming and going out fully loaded all day and night. They fly right over our house when they are headed North.

We also have an 80-90,000 acre fire in Northern New Mexico but it's mostly in the National Forest so not many homes are threatened.

I hope some of those planes are making runs in Colorado as well.

Paul

[SpiralDragon]

how much is an acre in the metric system ? anyone?