Free Republic

Two weeks after smoke from the nearly-contained Waldo Canyon fire first billowed from the canyons behind Cedar Heights, Colorado Springs is transitioning into the next phase of the disaster: the aftermath... ... burn scars could heighten flash flood potential for years to come, according to the Manitou Springs city officials. Some fire crews spent recent days terracing the hillsides with water bars —large trenches dug into the earth to catch flood waters.

Barack Obama will fly to Colorado Springs Friday to tour the scene of the Waldo Canyon Fire, which continues to ravage homes and forest on the edge of Colorado’s second most populous city. ... Politically, the fire offers Obama a chance to be on the ground in a key swing state assuming the responsibilities of actually being President. Further, with the Supreme Court set to issue its ruling on the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, traveling to the fire lines on Friday offers the President an opportunity to attempt to turn the page should the Court rule part or all...

Green agenda targets slurry bombers As fire rages out of control on the edge of Colorado Springs, threatening lives and property, it is time we listen to those who have warned us about the negative effect environmentalists and President Barack Obama have had on the federal government’s ability to fight fires. Much of what’s burning is the Pike National Forest, which is federal property. Yet it took almost three days to get federal fire fighting aircraft off the ground to begin dumping meaningful loads of slurry to slow the fire’s growth. Because the Forest Service has a shortage of planes,...

This is the Waldo Canyon fire. Winds grew to 65mph this afternoon and the fire went over the fire-breaks. The Air Force Academy and surrounding neighborhood have been evacuated. Interstare I-25 has been closed north of Colorado SPrings in order to allow local people use the highway to evacuate.

A new fire is burning at the western edge of Colorado Springs, Colorado; a few outlying communities have been evacuated and more are on voluntary-evacuation status. The wind is light and to the northeast. The fire is being called the Waldo Canyon fire since it's in or near Waldo Canyon; it is also being called the Pyramid fire. The fire started around noon today and is currently at 100-150 acres, with no containment. Temperatures here are in the high 90s with light winds and humidity in the single digits. The conditions are extremely bad with no relief in sight.