The big fire near us was reported to be 45% contained yesterday, but today there are 50 mph wind gusts, 90 degree heat, and 3% humidity, so I expect that number to go down. More evacuations were announced this afternoon. Some evacuations have been lifted and people have returned home.

Listening to the fire scanner, it makes me think of the Civil War where troops had to retreat over land they had previously won.

All that smoke in the air makes for colorful sunsets.



Here is a good newspaper recap:

RIST CANYON -- Mark Squibb remembers the thunderstorm that dropped rain on the parched landscape west of Fort Collins more than a week ago.
The rain gauge at Stove Prairie School recorded two-hundredths of an inch of moisture from the June 7 event.

Two days later, though, all signs of the water were gone.

A tree smoldering from a lightning strike believed to be from the same storm remained. Saturday's combination of high winds, heat and low humidity allowed that smoldering ember to flash into a spark.

That small spark transformed into the raging High Park fire that, in the ensuing week, has charred 54,230 acres, claimed one life and destroyed an
estimated 181 homes, including Squibb's off Davis Ranch Road.

Within hours of the first smoke report Saturday, the fire was torching so hot and moving so quickly that all firefighters and deputies could do was try to remove items from around homes and race to order evacuations.
"There was smoke, and instantly everything lit off, just like that," Loveland Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Rick Davis said. "Grass, brush, trees, like the snap of the finger. We don't have enough water on all the engines in the area to be able to put that out."

'The Smoke Was Boiling'

The safety of firefighters and residents is paramount. So at first, all officials could do was prepare homes quickly for the worst and, along with residents, get out of the way of the 200-foot flames.

"It was to the point where we had to get people out of the way of this thing," said Tim Smith, another Loveland battalion chief. "It was life safety."

Added Davis: "You get in front of that, and you're going to die. There's no stopping that. It's truly a force of nature."

That force of nature raged through Rist, Poudre, Redstone and Buckhorn Canyons, taking out homes along the way. Flames destroyed one fire station in Rist Canyon and homes throughout the charred area.

But there were situations where firefighters could -- and did -- save homes and other structures.

Rist Canyon volunteers twice protected the Stove Prairie School even as they could see their own neighborhoods and homes glowing with fire on the ridge. Despite their own personal worries and losses, they stayed on the line for many hours, protecting the community.

"I can think of a word that works for the Rist Canyon folks: That's hero," said Poudre Fire Authority Chief Tom DeMint, his eyes misting with emotion.

'These Are Conditions That Are Rare'

Wildfires are always a risk during summer months in Colorado, particularly when homes are scattered through the forested areas.

But what caused the High Park fire to grow so rapidly? To be so difficult to contain despite air and ground crews responding quickly? And to devastate so many homes?

A parched landscape, hot and windy weather and steep, rugged terrain with homes scattered throughout mixed into a recipe for an uncontrollable fire.

DeMint noted that two wildfire veterans in his department have never seen such a dangerous blend in all their years fighting wildland blazes.

"The three things that make fires work were all against them," he said. "These are conditions that are rare, and that's in 40 years."

With nearly no rain and very little snow this winter, trees and grasses are extremely dry. Even those that look green are deceiving.

"You may as well take a spray paint can and spray a two by four green," Davis said. "There's more moisture in a two by four."

The level of moisture in green grasses and trees is at 75 percent, said Mark DeGregorio, long-time wildland firefighter and a resident evacuated from Redstone Canyon.

"That's something that is living," he said. "That should be in the 90s or 100 percent."

The amount of moisture in branches that are 4 inches in diameter or more is at 10 percent, compared to 25 percent this time during a normal year, DeGregorio noted. At the same time, the amount of energy emanating from vegetation -- another factor in fire risk -- is in the 97th percentile, much higher than the average 70th percentile.

But you don't need science and numbers to realize how dry it is.

DeGregorio simply had to walk through his forested yard.

"It was crunchy," he said. "You walk around and everything crunches."

Aware of the arid conditions and moisture levels, DeGregorio evacuated a day before officials asked his neighborhood to leave, shortly after he saw a black column of smoke above the ridge.

He was expecting the worst.

"This year is an exception," he said. "With that level of dryness and winds, when you get a spark, it's off to the races."

'You Don't Grab Enough'

Linda Squibb thought a neighbor was nuts when she said, during an evacuation, she always grabbed her laundry.

Who would want their dirty clothes?

Now, eight days after evacuating from their home, which was destroyed, she wishes she would have listened.

"All your favorite stuff is in there," said Squibb, who is staying with her husband and three boys in their recreational vehicle at a local campground.

"We're all wearing mostly donated clothing. You don't grab the right things. You don't grab enough.

"We're fairly comfortable, but it's tight. I call it shoebox living ... We can't do this too, too long because of the kids, the animals...

Meanwhile, the fox came to visit yesterday: