Showing posts with label Colorado Springs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colorado Springs. Show all posts

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Flash Flood - State of Colorado, Manitou Springs

Earth Watch Report  -  Flash Floods


Carson Dennis stands in the middle of the destruction caused by a flash flood that poured down Canon Avenue, Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 in Manitou Springs, Colo. A mudslide closed U.S. 24 between Cascade and Manitou Springs. (Michael Ciaglo, AP/The Gazette)
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Flash FloodUSAState of Colorado, Manitou SpringsDamage level Details
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Flash Flood in USA on Saturday, 10 August, 2013 at 04:41 (04:41 AM) UTC.

Description
A mudslide closed a highway and flash flooding stranded vehicles in high, fast-moving water Friday night as rain fell west of Colorado Springs in an area burned by the Waldo Canyon wildfire last year. Manitou Springs police reported three people injured Friday night, and they were trying to confirm whether one person was missing. El Paso County sheriff's officials said one of the injured had a leg injury, and another had a back injury. Residents said at least one home was swept away. Firefighters also rescued one man from a creek. The mudslide closed U.S. 24 between Cascade and Manitou Springs. Mario Leon told The Gazette he and his wife heard the man shouting for help from their auto repair shop on the bank of the creek. He said he saw the man clinging to the bridge and lowered an extension cord for him to grab while his wife called 911. Several homes and businesses have been damaged, police said. About 15 people were at an evacuation shelter set up by the Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross, Manitou Springs police said. About 1.3 inches of rain fell in the area burned by the Waldo Canyon Fire last year, the National Weather Service said. Areas burned by wildfires are vulnerable to flash floods because the burned soils don't absorb as much water. To the southwest, flooding temporarily closed part of U.S. 50 west of Royal Gorge Park. Flash flood warnings have been frequent this summer in Manitou Springs.
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Body found in flood debris near Manitou Springs, 3 people still missing

By Ally Marotti, Kirk Mitchell and Ryan Parker
The Denver Post
Posted:   08/10/2013 09:18:24 AM MDT | Updated:   about 3 hours ago

Flash flooding

Flash flooding
View more photos of Manitou Springs as flash floods in the Waldo Canyon fire burn area swept through the town, Friday, Aug. 9, 2013.
MANITOU SPRINGS —One person is confirmed dead and three people are missing after Friday evening's flash flooding in Manitou Springs.
Residents and crews worked Saturday to clean up the damage. Yet another flash flood watch is in effect until 9 p.m. Saturday because of possible thunderstorms and saturated soil.
The body of a man was found late Friday night buried under mud and rock debris piled several feet thick in the west-bound lane of U.S. 24 following the severe flash flood, authorities say.
Early Saturday afternoon, the El Paso County Sheriff's office identified the man as 53-year-old John Collins of Teller County. The sheriff's office said Collins' vehicle was in the same general area on U.S. 24 but it was not known whether he left his vehicle by choice or was swept out of it during the flooding.
Manitou Springs Police Chief Joe Ribeiro said at a Saturday morning news conference that three people were missing: 24 year old Juston Travis, a man neighbors knew only as Steve and a woman last seen clinging to a tree.
The woman was described a petite, blond female who was seen in a tree near the floodwaters.
"She was seen near the creek at one moment hanging in a tree and then not seen the next," Ribeiro said.
Ribeiro said that homes had been destroyed and other homes had been severely damaged. He said more accurate accessment of the damage would be available Saturday afternoon.
Collins' body was found about two to three miles west of Colorado Springs following the flash flood on the south edge of the Waldo Canyon burn scar, Lt. Jeff Kramer, sheriff's office spokesman, he said.
About 1 ½ inches of rain fell between 5:30 and 6 p.m., washing boulders and mud down the burn scar area, Kramer said.
"We had a tremendous amount of rain," he said. "Vehicles were washed into the debris flow."
Several homes and businesses along Cañon Avenue in Manitou Springs were damaged. There

The Fountain Water Rescue team assists a woman down Canon Avenues after she broke her leg climbing to safety to avoid the flash flood that ripped through downtown, Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 in Manitou, Colo. A mudslide has closed U.S. 24 between Cascade and Manitou Springs, and flash flooding in Manitou Springs is stranding vehicles in high, fast-moving water. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Michael Ciaglo) MAGS OUT (The Gazette | Michael Ciaglo)
were reports of three people injured, one man with severe leg injuries, Kramer said.


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Body Recovered From Mudslide in Colo.

PHOTO: Volunteer rescuer Jesse Rochette searches the Fountain Creek flood waters for anyone trapped or stranded as another flash flood washes off the Waldo Canyon burn scar, Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 in Manitou, Colo.
Emergency Flood Rescues Continue Overnight
Volunteer rescuer Jesse Rochette searches the Fountain Creek flood waters for anyone trapped or stranded as another flash flood washes off the Waldo Canyon burn scar, Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 in Manitou, Colo. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Michael Ciaglo)

Associated Press
MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. August 10, 2013 (AP)

Authorities have recovered a man's body from debris left by a fast-moving mudslide that swept through a historic town near Colorado Springs, Colo., and crews continued their search Saturday for three people reported missing after the flood.
Lt. Jeff Kramer with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office said 53-year-old John Collins of Teller County was found Friday "buried beneath significant amounts of debris" on U.S. Highway 24 in Manitou Springs. It was unclear if Collins left his nearby vehicle on his own or if the floodwaters forced him from it.
The mudslide closed the highway and flash flooding stranded vehicles in high water Friday night as about 1.3 inches of rain fell in an area burned by the Waldo Canyon Fire last year. Areas burned by wildfires are vulnerable to flash floods because the scorched soil absorbs less water.
Manitou Springs Police Chief Joe Ribeiro said Saturday that crews were looking for three people who were reported missing: 24-year-old Juston Travis, a man identified by neighbors only as Steve and a petite, blond female who was seen in a tree near the floodwaters.
"She was seen near the creek at one moment hanging in a tree and then not seen the next," Ribeiro said.


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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Forest / Wild Fire - State of Colorado, [Black Forest] UPDATE

Earth Watch Report -  Extreme Weather  -  Forest/Wild Fires

 
A firefighter fights a blaze near Black Forest, Colorado, on Wednesday, June 12. The Black Forest Fire is one of two major wildfires near Colorado Springs. The other, the Royal Gorge Fire, is threatening the Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge. A firefighter fights a blaze near Black Forest, Colorado, on Wednesday, June 12. The Black Forest Fire is one of two major wildfires near Colorado Springs. The other, the Royal Gorge Fire, is threatening the Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge.
 
 
Smoke covers the area on June 12. Smoke covers the area on June 12.
 
 
A house burns near Colorado Springs on June 11. A house burns near Colorado Springs on June 11. ....
15.06.2013 Forest / Wild Fire USA State of Colorado, [Black Forest] Damage level Details
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Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Wednesday, 12 June, 2013 at 03:11 (03:11 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Friday, 14 June, 2013 at 05:29 UTC
Description
The remains of two people killed trying to flee the most destructive Colorado wildfire on record have been found as crews fight to keep the fierce, wind-driven blaze from roaring into the outskirts of Colorado Springs. The blaze has ripped across more than 24-square-miles (6215 hectares) of rolling, forested terrain northeast of Colorado Springs since it erupted on Tuesday, forcing some 38,000 people to flee their homes. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said the dead, who have not been publicly identified, were recovered on Thursday (Friday NZT) from the garage of one of at least 360 homes destroyed by the so-called Black Forest Fire near the state's second-largest city. Maketa indicated the blaze could be the work of an arsonist or the result of negligence, telling reporters that a criminal investigation was under way. He told Reuters there were no signs of lightning strikes in the area when the fire began. News of the first two casualties from the monster blaze came as fire-fighters made their first measurable progress against the fire, managing to carve containment lines around 5% of the fire's perimeter. Maketa said the victims had been on the phone as the flames closed in on their home. "The person they were speaking with said he could hear popping and cracking in the background and they (the two people) advised they were leaving right now," Maketa said. "We were truly hoping that we could get from day-to-day without coming across news like this." With the fire still burning largely unchecked and driven by erratic 30-mile-per-hour (48-kilometre-per-hour) winds that showed no sign of diminishing, officials ordered mandatory evacuations of about 1000 homes in the northern tip of Colorado Springs that were considered to be in imminent danger. "Load your family, and pets and GO NOW," the El Paso County Sheriff's Office said in a tweet. The area lies just to the east of the US Air Force Academy. A voluntary evacuation alert was issued for another 2000 homes in Colorado Springs, advising those residents to be ready to flee at a moment's notice, as embers drifted over the city.
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Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Wednesday, 12 June, 2013 at 03:11 (03:11 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Saturday, 15 June, 2013 at 10:36 UTC
Description
A voracious wildfire driven in all directions by shifting winds destroyed at least 360 homes - a number that was likely to climb as the most destructive blaze in Colorado history burned out of control for a third day through miles of tinder-dry woods. The destruction northeast of Colorado Springs on Thursday surpassed last June's Waldo Canyon fire, which burned 347 homes, killed two people and caused $353 million in insurance claims just 15 miles to the southwest. The heavy losses were blamed in part on explosive population growth in areas with historically high fire risk. "I never in my wildest dreams imagined we'd be dealing a year later with a very similar circumstance," said El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa, who drew audible gasps as he announced the number of homes lost to the blaze in Black Forest. Hours later, residents of 1,000 homes in Colorado Springs were ordered to evacuate. Thursday's evacuation was the first within the city limits. About 38,000 other people living across roughly 70 square miles were already under orders to get out. Colorado's second-largest city, with a population of 430,000, also asked residents of 2,000 more homes to be ready to evacuate. The streets became gridlocked with hundreds of cars while emergency vehicles raced by on shoulders. Hot, gusty winds fanned the 23-square-mile wildfire, sending it into new areas and back into places that had previously been spared. Even investigators sent in to determine the cause of the fire were pulled out for safety reasons. No injuries or deaths have been reported. The Red Cross said more than 800 people stayed at shelters. Black Forest, where the blaze began, offers a case study in the challenges of tamping down wildfires in Colorado and across the West, especially with growing populations, rising temperatures and a historic drought. Developers describe Black Forest as the largest contiguous stretch of ponderosa pine in the United States - a thick, wide carpet of vegetation rolling down from the Rampart Range that thins out to the high grasslands of Colorado's eastern plains. Once home to rural towns and summer cabins, it is now dotted with million-dollar homes and gated communities - the result of the state's population boom over the past two decades.
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Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Wednesday, 12 June, 2013 at 03:11 (03:11 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Sunday, 16 June, 2013 at 04:09 UTC
Description
Thousands of people were allowed to return home Saturday evening, after fire crews increased their hold on the Black Forest fire. Many more, though, remained displaced, and officials asked those blaze-battered residents for patience while firefighters finish the job. At an afternoon news conference, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said residents living in certain areas on the northern and northwestern edges of the mandatory evacuation zone around the fire would be allowed to go home at 8 p.m. Saturday. The re-opened area accounted for about a quarter of the remaining mandatory evacuation zone, Maketa estimated. Earlier in the day, officials had lifted voluntary and mandatory evacuations for areas in Elbert County and on the fire's western and southwestern sides in El Paso County. Maketa said he expected Colorado 83 would re-open in both directions Saturday night. The American Red Cross also announced it would be closing two of its three shelters serving the fire. Only the shelter at Palmer Ridge High School in Monument remained open Saturday evening. Rich Harvey, the federal incident commander managing firefighting efforts, said crews had success Saturday in problem areas of the blaze and expected to attack it with equal vigor on Sunday. The fire is now 55 percent contained, Harvey said. Full containment could come mid-week. "We did make good progress all around the fire today," Harvey said. But the good news was tempered by a new assessment that raised the number of homes destroyed in the fire to 483. And, five days after the fire started, the strain on those still out of their homes began to show. Several dozen residents of Black Forest attended a midday news conference with questions about when they could return to their houses, many of which - if still standing — have remained vacant since Tuesday.
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Two dead as firefighters battle Colorado blaze

By Ashley Fantz. Dana Ford and Paul Vercammen, CNN
updated 1:14 PM EDT, Fri June 14, 2013
An orange sky highlights a fire on Thursday, June 13, that has been burning since June 11 near Colorado Springs. <a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/14/us/colorado-fires/index.html?hpt=hp_t1'>Two major wildfires </a>are scorching thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes in the state.
An orange sky highlights a fire on Thursday, June 13, that has been burning since June 11 near Colorado Springs. Two major wildfires are scorching thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes in the state.
Wildfires spread across Colorado

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: The two victims may have been trying to evacuate
  • NEW: "If it's a draw, that's a victory today," sheriff says
  • The Black Forest Fire has scorched at least 15,700 acres
  • Some 360 homes are destroyed; 14 are damaged
Are you affected by the wildfires? Please share your images and stories with CNN iReport if you can do so safely.
Colorado Springs, Colorado (CNN) -- Firefighters made little headway Thursday against a raging wildfire near Colorado Springs, Colorado, which has scorched close to 16,000 acres, destroyed 360 homes and claimed at least two lives. Witnesses spoke to the two victims in the afternoon, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa told reporters. "They said that they could see a glow to the west. They were packing their personal belongings, trying to get out," he said. Earlier, county spokesman Dave Rose told CNN that the Black Forest Fire, burning northeast of the city, now appears to be the most destructive in terms of property lost in state history. Read: Study warns of continued wildfires in western U.S. Some 750 firefighters were battling the blaze, which was 5% contained late Thursday. With the help of helicopters and air tankers, they established a loose perimeter. "The fire is very, very active within the containment area, and we don't have a high level of confidence at all that we'll be able to hold all of these lines around this fire," Rose said. The fire's evacuation area was 93,000 acres, affecting approximately 38,000 people and 13,000 homes, and the flames were estimated to have burned through 15,700 acres, said Maketa. That marked a dramatic increase from the 8,500 acres officials said had been burned by Wednesday night, he noted. After he spoke, residents of about 1,000 homes in Colorado Springs were told to evacuate. "Wind is probably our No. 1 threat," the sheriff said. Combined with dry brush and high temperatures, the winds have fanned devastating flames. Maketa struggled to find a phrase to describe how ferocious the fire is, settling on "very dynamic." "If it's a draw, that's a victory today because we haven't had too many draws in the last couple of days," he said. 'The flames were there' Among those who lost their home were husband and wife, Jaenette and Kristian Coyne. "We literally had five minutes, and we left because it was, the flames were there," Jaenette Coyne told CNN's AC360 Thursday night. She said she grabbed a baby album and a personal computer with pictures on it. She also took a firebox, which contained most of the couple's important documents. The Coynes actually saw their home burn on live TV. "It was probably the worst thing I've ever seen in my life. You have that moment where you say: 'Is that really my house?' But we know it was. However, now I'm grateful that I know. A lot of people here just don't know," Jaenette Coyne said. In northeast Colorado Springs, CNN iReporter Heather Croze took photos outside her home, capturing a billowing plume of smoke. One shot shows just how wide the smoke was on the horizon.
A county fairground northeast of the Black Forest Fire looked like a Noah's Ark with families who fled with their animals to escape the looming inferno.


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Family lost nearly everything in wildfire

Woman loses home in Colorado wildfire

Wildfires scorch Colorado

Homes destroyed in Black Forest fire
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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Heat Wave - State of Colorado, [Colorado-wide] : More weather records are being broken as a heat wave continues across Colorado.

Earth Watch Report  -  Heat Wave

Heat Wave photo HeatWave_zps241ea81b.jpg



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12.06.2013Heat WaveUSAState of Colorado, [Colorado-wide]Damage level Details
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Heat Wave in USA on Wednesday, 12 June, 2013 at 04:49 (04:49 AM) UTC.

Description
More weather records are being broken as a heat wave continues across Colorado. Denver and Pueblo broke high temperature records for the second straight day Tuesday, both before noon. Denver reached 96 and Pueblo hit 101 and the mercury is expected to keep climbing. The hottest weather is expected in parched southeastern Colorado, where it's expected to reach 109 in Lamar. The fire danger is high across much of the state because winds are expected to pick up, making it easy for fires to spread in the heat. Some small wildfires are already burning, including one sparked by lighting at Rocky Mountain National Park. Firefighters are also battling a small blaze in a training area at the Air Force Academy. It's not known how that fire started. No structures are threatened.
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Record heat fuels destructive fires in drought-baked Colorado


Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 1:42 PM GMT on June 12, 2013


Destructive wildfires erupted in three locations in drought-baked Colorado on Tuesday, fanned by strong winds and the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the state so early in the year. The mercury soared to 100°F in Denver on Tuesday, their earliest 100° day on record (previous earliest 100° day: June 14, 2006, 102°.) It was the second consecutive day Denver recorded its hottest temperature for so early in the year. At Lamar in Southeast Colorado, the mercury soared to 111°, just one degree below their hottest temperature ever measured, and 3° shy of the all-time hottest temperature ever measured in Colorado, the 114° reading in Sedgwick on July 11, 1954. The most destructive fire in Colorado Tuesday was the Black Forest fire burning near Colorado Springs. The fire destroyed over 60 buildings and forced the evacuation of several thousand people. The fire was aided by nearly ideal conditions on Tuesday afternoon--Colorado Springs hit 97° (only the 2nd time the city has been that hot this early in the year), with sustained winds of 29 mph gusting to 36 mph, and a humidity of 4%. Colorado Springs is under extreme drought.



Figure 3. Severe weather outlook for Wednesday.


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Forest / Wild Fire - State of Colorado, [Black Forest] : A wildfire charged through the Black Forest area northeast of Colorado Springs, Colo. igniting several large houses

Earth Watch Report - Forest/Wild Fires

EVACUATING CATHEDRAL PINES IN BLACK FOREST FIRE!!!

GreggMonument
Published on Jun 11, 2013
Video of when fire first started and prior to mandatory evacuations in Cathedral Pines.

Black Forest Colorado Fire (Civilian Footage)

CurrentNewsTVx CurrentNewsTVx
 
Published on Jun 12, 2013
1st Video: Skyline loop in Canon City. (Aerial firefighting??)
2nd Video: Mandatory Evacuation Cathedral Pines

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12.06.2013 Forest / Wild Fire USA State of Colorado, [Black Forest] Damage level Details
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Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Wednesday, 12 June, 2013 at 03:11 (03:11 AM) UTC.

Description
A wildfire charged through the Black Forest area northeast of Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, igniting several large houses as its flames threatened a neighborhood set in dense forest where some home values top $1 million. A thick plume of gray smoke could be seen from Denver, about 65 miles to the north. Video from a helicopter showed flames engulfing several large homes. Homes in the Black Forest area are on sites between 2 to 5 acres each. Cathedral Pines, a neighborhood with several pricey homes with views of Pikes Peak, is among the areas evacuated because of the blaze. CBS Station KCNC Colorado reported that based on Copter 4's video, it looked like at least 10 homes were burned. Fire managers requested aerial firefighting resources, and the Air Force Academy was among those sending ground resources to help fight the flames. A U.S. Forest Service official in Golden, Mike Stearly, said an air tanker from Nevada will be coming to battle the blaze but is unsure when it will arrive. He told CBS4: "We are a little disconnected with the immediate information on ground, but we are focusing on the protection of people at this time. Things are hot and heavy here at the coordination center." There were no immediate reports of injuries in the Black Forest Fire, said Lt. Jeff Kramer of the El Paso County sheriff's department. He didn't know how many homes had been evacuated. Kramer said it was too soon to say what caused the blaze. He said residents were being notified to leave by automated phone calls and in some cases in-person visits from sheriff's deputies. "To protect life is certainly the ultimate priority here," Kramer said. The Black Forest Fire was one of at least three significant wildfires burning in Colorado amid gusty winds and record-breaking hot, dry weather. A fire burning on an estimated 300 acres south of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Arkansas River led to the evacuation of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park near Canon City, the Bureau of Land Management said. Park spokeswoman Peggy Gair told The Gazette the evacuations affected several hundred people at the park, which closed Tuesday afternoon. Evacuations also were in effect from Parkdale to Soda Point, north of the Royal Gorge, the BLM said.
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Colorado fires burn homes, force thousands to flee

Wildfires have burned 80 to 100 homes in Colorado Springs, and the sheriff said he feared there were fatalities.




BLACK FOREST, Colo. — Wildfires burning across Colorado Wednesday have destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands to evacuate, including 900 inmates from a state prison. Near Colorado Springs, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said Wednesday afternoon that the Black Forest Fire had destroyed 92 homes. The cause was still unknown. Maketa said about 2,300 homes, affecting about 6,400 people, were evacuated, and 7,500 acres had burned since the fire began Tuesday. No injuries or deaths have been reported. Maketa said officials were trying to confirm the whereabouts of one person reported missing Wednesday. Firefighters tried to go where the person was last seen but were turned back twice because it was too hot, he said. Wildfires also were burning in New Mexico, Oregon and California, where a smokejumper was killed fighting one of dozens of lightning-sparked fires.


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