Saturday, March 31, 2012

Lower North Fork Fire

A number of you have asked me about the fires in Colorado. I've been a little out of touch this last week because I've been in business meetings in Chicago. Now that I'm back, here is what I've learned. It has come within about 4 or 5 miles of our house, as the crow flies. So that wasn't a major threat, except that it was coming in our direction. We do have an open space of grassland between us and the timber in the foothills too, which is a nice barrier.

The fire is located just a mile Northeast of Waterton Canyon and has been about 70% contained going into today, and burned around 4,100 acres. Officials are concerned that if the wind kicks up again, it will re-ignite and begin to spread rapidly. In addition, when there are high winds they can't combat the fire from the air with bombers and helicopters. High winds are predicted today and tomorrow as a cold front moves in.

Of the 980 homes that have been evacuated, there are 180 which remain evacuated. 6,500 homes are under a warning of evacuation. We are thankful to God we have been spared this horrible event. The only minor issue is it smells like a campfire once in a while. A small price to pay.

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