On Tuesday afternoon the inferno descended into our lovely town with a rare and terrifying ferocity. A monster so dreadfully horrific it could only come from the very gates hell. Ravenous and insatiable, it consumed, with no regard, the trees and shrubs; grass and flowers; shake shingles then siding; photo albums and wedding gowns; Grandmother's Amish rocking chair, worn and loved, and Father's tiny vegetable garden; Aunt Beth's Christmas china, Uncle Joe's six string guitar, and sweet Emma's little teddy bear who waited patiently next to her pillow. It violently devoured the rabbits who lived under the deck; the fawn born in thicket last Spring; and finally, the kind elderly couple who could not get out.
Horses screamed. Dogs cried. The sound of one hundred-thousand smoke detectors filled the dark streets in a vain and futile attempt to warn 32,000 evacuees of the impending mayhem. Lawn mowers were left on the grass out back. Cars frantically crashed through garage doors as the power was cut. Monstrous orange and black billows of acrid smoke raced down the mountain side, through the steep canyon, over the flower beds, in between the houses and manicured lawns - into our lungs, our eyes, our hearts.
Sometimes the rug is pull from beneath your feet so viciously that you're left reeling and falling, and careening out of control. How brutally life is turned upside down!
My home is hazy with smoke - the remnants and particulates of shattered dreams and real life nightmares - however, it is still here. I did not lose it. My sincerest thoughts and prayers are with the 346 families who did. May God bring you peace and strength as you struggle to rebuild what the fire so cruelly took.
And to the brave and tireless firefighters, I express my deepest gratitude. Through your selflessness, you courageously display all the character traits for which we, as ordinary humans, strive. You will be forever remembered as HEROS.
I will be back with more recipes and food after I gather my thoughts, wash the ash from my hair, take a trip to the mountains and breath some of that clean, sweet, and cool mountain air. In the meantime . . .
Here's a link to an excellent photo blog documenting the Waldo Canyon Fire which destroyed so many lives on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 here in Colorado Springs:
And here's an amazing time-lapse video of the Waldo Canyon Fire as the inferno roared angrily into town.
Oh I am just in tears reading this. It is just overwhelming how everything can just be destroyed in a flash. My heart and prayers go out to everyone. Even if your home was still there, the trauma of living through this is just almost unbearable. Sending hugs your way.
ReplyDeleteEvelyn, Thank you for your kind words. It's almost surreal, like watching a movie, seeing the fire race down the mountain like that. If it wasn't for the amazing fire crews stationed throughout the neighborhoods, who knows what would have been lost. I can't even imagine.
DeleteAh, we are so grateful to have "some of that clean, sweet, and cool mountain air" back again -- and for the blue sky to return, such a blessing. There are so many stories still untold about this fire, I hope folks do not move on too quickly and take the time to tell what they went through. It is an important step on the road to recovery. Thanks for sharing yours.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you and your family are okay. I was horrified to read about the fires, and my heart aches for so many who lost so much. What a terrifying thing to go through.
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