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.

know, this is also personal. My family and I are approaching a full week as Waldo Canyon Fire evacuees. Did you know that President Obama has been incommunicado with Colorado’s governor for more than two weeks as the nation’s worst wildfires rage across the state? Maybe he thought we were all “doing fine.” After an embarrassing Beltway press briefing revelation about our out-of-touch White House, the administration finally decided to divert the campaigner in chief from his nationwide fundraising frenzy for a quick look-see at our devastated city on Friday. It’s “leadership from behind” you can count on. While he...

(Reuters) - Firefighters struggled on Wednesday to beat back a fiercely aggressive wildfire raging at the edge of Colorado Springs that has forced at least 35,000 people from their homes and was nipping at the edges of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The so-called Waldo Canyon Fire, fanned by gusting winds, has gutted an unknown number of homes on the wooded fringes of Colorado's second-most populous city and prompted more evacuations as flames roared out of control for a fifth day. President Barack Obama plans to pay a visit to the area on Friday to view the damage, the White...