Remember the High Park Fire I wrote about two weeks ago? Well, it's still burning, and it has consumed 81,190 acres so far, including 191 homes. My heart breaks for the people who've lost everything, and thousands more have been evacuated from the area close to Fort Collins. The angry pinkish cloud of smoke is part of the visual landscape now, rising above the mountains that encircle our valley. For a recent news story, click here.
Despite the visible plume of smoke, the High Park Fire is far enough away from the YMCA to be more of a curiosity than a threat.
But yesterday, the threat of fire hit much closer to home.
Hubby and I were cleaning dishes full-throttle in the kitchen when we were called in to an unplanned staff meeting. There, they told us that a new fire had begun, this one only a mile away from the YMCA park entrance! A year-round staff member had already lost his cabin, and other homes were threatened.
The good news was that the wind was in our favor, blowing the fire away from the YMCA grounds. Firefighters were already battling the blaze from the ground and the air, and we could hear helicopters buzzing overhead.
After our shift, we stood at the top of the hill near our cabin. From that vantage point we could see the flames and smoke mingling orange and gray at the other end of the valley.
Just to be safe, we packed our backpacks with essentials and valuables before hiking back down to the administration building. By then, the smoke was already lessening and the flames were no longer visible. A news article from last night said that the fire was in "mop up" stage, fully contained, and no longer a threat to the YMCA or to Estes Park.
I have been to Colorado many times in the past, and I have never seen the state so parched. Last summer, they had a drought equivalent to the one experienced by my home state of Texas in the past few years, and the trees and ground are ripe tinder for fires. Please pray for Colorado, especially for the firefighters and people who have lost their homes.
Despite the visible plume of smoke, the High Park Fire is far enough away from the YMCA to be more of a curiosity than a threat.
But yesterday, the threat of fire hit much closer to home.
Hubby and I were cleaning dishes full-throttle in the kitchen when we were called in to an unplanned staff meeting. There, they told us that a new fire had begun, this one only a mile away from the YMCA park entrance! A year-round staff member had already lost his cabin, and other homes were threatened.
The good news was that the wind was in our favor, blowing the fire away from the YMCA grounds. Firefighters were already battling the blaze from the ground and the air, and we could hear helicopters buzzing overhead.
After our shift, we stood at the top of the hill near our cabin. From that vantage point we could see the flames and smoke mingling orange and gray at the other end of the valley.
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| View of the fire from our hill. |
Just to be safe, we packed our backpacks with essentials and valuables before hiking back down to the administration building. By then, the smoke was already lessening and the flames were no longer visible. A news article from last night said that the fire was in "mop up" stage, fully contained, and no longer a threat to the YMCA or to Estes Park.
I have been to Colorado many times in the past, and I have never seen the state so parched. Last summer, they had a drought equivalent to the one experienced by my home state of Texas in the past few years, and the trees and ground are ripe tinder for fires. Please pray for Colorado, especially for the firefighters and people who have lost their homes.
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