Fire is like radiation or gossip. It can be used for good, it can be used for bad, but no matter what – you don’t want to get any on you.
After watching the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires ravage the Rockies, we weren’t sure that we would have a place to live when we got back to the States. Many hours were spent watching the live feeds and listening to the fire department radios over the internet, plotting spots on the map where they were talking about fire.
While we’re very flexible people and could have probably found somewhere else to live, we were very happy to see the fire line stop about 1/2 mile away and hold.
When we arrived in Colorado, we ended up staying in an extended-stay hotel in Longmont while we waited for evacuation orders to lift. Not the greatest, but good enough and let us get some shopping and city stuff done. The minute the evacuation orders lifted though – we hightailed it up to the mountains.
These photos are from a walk today through the community to see the extent of the damage. While we didn’t even get into the heavily damaged areas, the photos tell the story.

Scorched Center

It’s interesting to see scorched areas in the center of untouched forest. A hot ember must have flown over the untouched part and ignited the center.

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Black and Green

Charred blackened rocks and trees among green pines.

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Time Bomb

The house burned, yet this propane tank didn’t explode.

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Hopes and Dreams

A partial foundation is all that remains of this house.

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Life Above

Charred ground everywhere, yet these pines have retained their needles high above.

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It’s Not Just People

This deer laying on burned ground surrounded by charred trees is a reminder that it’s not only people that suffer from natural disasters.

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