Wildfires turn toward Colorado Springs

[anvi]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/27/us-usa-wildfires-idUSBRE85L1DD20120627

I have friends in the Colorado Springs area.  I hope evacuation efforts are effective, and we should wish everyone there the best, including posters on this forum who may be from the region.

[anvi]

Nathan, a friend of mine in the region said this evening that, when the winds shifted, wind speeds were gusting up to 65 mph.  He is posting pics on his FB now which show houses on the outer edge of Colorado Springs being consumed by huge blazes.  I think it's very difficult at the moment, and it's nighttime, making the evacuation and other efforts all the more difficult.

[anvi]

And, on top of it all, I25 is also closed.

[anvi]

One division of FEMA is the U.S. Fire Administration.  I think they provide some firefighter training and offer various kinds of coordination assistance and so on, but I don't know how much actual firefighting they do.

[anvi]

There's also been fires in Utah, including in Saratoga Springs, home of Mayor Mia Love (who is running for Congress, but did what any decent person would do and stayed to help her town, rather than going to a GOP big-wig fundraiser for her).

Yes, the Utah wildfires have been terrible too and have caused death, not just home destruction.  A salute to Mayor Love.

[anvi]

Inks, that picture is amazing and terrifying.  The people of CoSprings are in my thoughts.

[anvi]

I think the one death I read about in Utah may have been a firefighter, but I'm not certain.