Posted on 06/13/2013 9:26:09 AM PDT by CedarDave
El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa says at least 360 homes are complete losses -- numbers he calls "shocking" -- and another 14 are damaged as firefighters prepare to face another "red flag" day fighting the Black Forest fire.
The destruction of homes ranks the Black Forest fire as the worst wildfire in Colorado history, surpassing the 347 homes destroyed by the Waldo Canyon fire last June in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood of Colorado Springs.
It also ranks atop the list for most forced evacuations. Maketa said 38,000 people have been forced from their homes by the Black Forest fire, again exceeding the 32,000 evacuated from Colorado Springs during the Waldo Canyon fire.
Maketa has no update on a missing person report filed Wednesday. Attempts to investigate the report are being hampered by intense fire.
"I have not heard of a report of injuries and no information on fatalities at this time," Maketa said.
As for today, the fire remains completely out of control and likely will as long as winds gusting to 40 mph whip it every direction, he said.
"We're not at a point where we can declare containment," Maketa said.
He said the prospect of winds in the 30 mph range with gusts to 35 mph today make prospects for containment doubtful, he said.
The goal today will be to stop its spread to the west and northwest where affluent Colorado Springs neighborhoods and the communities of Woodmoor and Monument sit.
"Those are going to be the priorities," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at gazette.com ...
My sister is north side of CS My niece and her husbands families are in Monument. So sad.
The US has been much less aggressive in harvesting this dead timber on its Federal and state lands. This is primarily because of government bureaucracy's and injunctions filed by environmental groups in court to delay timber sales. The result is millions of acres of dead standing timber just waiting for the next lightning strike or carelessly thrown match.
Watching KOAA live. In the past five minutes it has just exploded east of highway 83.
My nieces in laws have been evacuated. They are off Higby Road & Colonial Park in Monument. They are both retired military, he’s still working.
Ugh. Best of luck and prayers up. Keep us updated as you can.
LIVE UPDATES: 11:29 a.m.: Black Forest fire by the numbers . . .
Containment: 0 percent
Deaths / injuries: None reported
Acres burned: 15,000
Homes burned: 360 destroyed / 14 damaged
People evacuated: 38,000 people
Homes evacuated: 13,000
Evacuation area: 55 square miles.
Firefighters on scene: 500 estimated
Wife and Son were at Boy Scout Camp at Elbert this time last year. Glad they aren’t there this year.
Beautiful Country up there. Hopefully some rain is on the way.
The black forest has not been affected by beetle kill.
Gee, I didn’t realize this was EAST of I-25, not west in the mountains as I presumed. And 0 percent contained? What are they waiting on?
Rain and no more Red Flag conditions would be a start. They can’t do much otherwise. :-(
With 30 mph winds and very low humidity, they are waiting on God. The firefighters are doing all that is humanly possible.
Thank you for the map. Our family was in Colorado Springs just this past weekend, staying off Interquest Parkway— right in what is now the “voluntary evacuation zone”.
I did note that the grass was pretty dry in the area. There were few trees and buildings in the area. The buildings all look brand new. There is a community college in the “zone”, but I don’t know whether summer school is in session.
Something nobody has pointed out - this is a very affluent area with lots of very large and expensive homes. Local TV had several residents state they had been through this before - in California.
The deadfall and carpet of pine needles is very deep. Population density increases to the north and east.
I am 60 miles north of Black forest. Last night the smoke was reducing visibility in my ‘hood for a few hours.
Black Forest fire perimeter map.
Not every home/structure within the perimeter area has been burned.
Live pictures from KOAA showing nearby small trees bowed from the wind (20 mph and increasing) and large, increasingly intense plumes of black smoke. Red flag weather conditions posted.
Pets? What about WIFE?
Huh. So that’s why the Range is covered with thick smoke. *Cough*
Mandatory evacuation area expanded:
1:41 p.m. Mandatory Evacuation announced for northern Colorado Springs — Northern Boundary: North Gate and Old North Gate Road - Southern Boundary: Flying Horse Club Drive (to include homes south of Flying Horse Club Drive on Barossa Valley Road and Veneto Way)/Vine Cliff Heights/Equinox Drive/Serenity Peak Drive - Eastern Boundary: Highway 83 - Western Boundary: Voyager Parkway
Sheriff briefing and update at 2 p.m.
Live stream shows DC-10 slurry bomber dropping retardant.
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