Vicious wildfires spread to Colo. tourist centers

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

THOMAS PEIPERT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Wildfires damaged more than a dozen Colorado homes over the weekend and forced evacuations for thousands more while shrouding top state tourist destinations in smoke and emptying hotels and campgrounds ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.

Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in a decade, with more than a half dozen forest fires burning across the state's parched terrain. One of the newest fires, a blaze near Colorado Springs, grew to more than 3 square miles Sunday after erupting just a day earlier and prompting evacuation orders for 11,000 residents and an unknown number of tourists.

The fire sent plumes of gray and white smoke over the area that obscured at times Pikes Peak, the most-summited high-elevation mountain in the nation and inspiration for the song "America The Beautiful."

Winds had started to push smoke away from Colorado Springs and evacuations orders were lifted for the 5,000 residents of nearby Manitou Springs, but area residents and tourists still watched nervously as haze wrapped around the peak.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120625/D9VK40102.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. Shame their not viscous

They'd put themselves out.

[tanyev]

2. Any minute now, Pat Robertson will explain to us why God hates Colorado Springs.

[Woody Woodpecker]

4. Anything to get rid of the fundies

and the reason why Lamborn against a even more right-wing nut (from what I hear) primary is happening tomorrow.

I'm sure the folks from the Springs will elaborate a bit more to the story here.

[Autumn]

5. God is pissed at fuckus on the family

rightfully so.

[bluedigger]

8. Colorado Springs is just a diversion.

God was really going after Warren Jeffs' people. God's a sneaky trickster.

http://www.cortezjournal.com/article/20120625/NEWS01/706259999/UPDATE:-Weber-Fire-grows-to-8,300-acres

[ellie]

3. It's very hot here.

It's been near or over 100 degrees for several days.

[Woody Woodpecker]

6. Yup. It's so damn hot here, I just might do what the Israelis do today -

take a siesta until 3pm.. even my swamp coolers can only give me 20 degrees differentals from what is outside, so 80 degrees on a 100 degrees days are *barely* tolerable.. I go around topless (and I'm a male).

[AllyCat]

7. So sorry for everyone who lives there.

I have an old friend in Manitou and wonder how she and her family are doing. We were planning a trip there in August. Last time we were there was during the decade-ago fires and we were able to backpack the one place that was not on fire (as did everyone else). We've never seen so many people backpacking on a trip.

[pasto76]

9. just a year ago everyone was targetting the "ferrari salaries" of police and fire fighters

now there is an outpouring of "support". Just like for us troops, but I digress.

just posted on my facebook about how if you really want to support our firefighters, you will vote for people who want to hire more, protect their wages and job security, increase funds for equipment and training and such.

[Hotler]

10. What this state needs is more

transplants. The Californication is not yet complete.