Waldo Canyon Wildfire: Day 7
As the state’s worst-ever wildfire continued to burn west of Colorado Springs on Friday, authorities appeared more optimistic about containing the blaze.
At a Friday afternoon briefing, Jerri Marr of the U.S. Forest Service said total containment increased to 25 percent, but that firefighters made “great progress” Thursday on the blaze that has burned more than 16,000 acres since Saturday.
Rich Harvey, incident commander of the firefighting effort, said crews have been successful in preventing further property loss, and in slowing the fire’s spread toward Monument and along U.S. 24 to Woodland Park in Teller County.
Steve Cox, a member of Mayor Steve Bach’s executive team, asked residents evacuated from affected areas for more patience as authorities restore utility services and make those areas safe for residents to return.
“Give us a few days,” said Cox.
Jerry Forte of Colorado Springs Utilities said natural gas was shut off to 4,200 homes, mostly in the Mountain Shadows and Peregrine neighborhoods.
“That was done to protect firefighters,” said Forte. “It might take some time to restore gas service.”
President Barack Obama toured some of the damaged neighborhoods Friday, accompanied by Bach, Gov. John Hickenlooper and members of the state’s Congressional delegation.
Obama also stopped to speak with city firefighters working at the wildfire, and with evacuees and volunteers at a Red Cross center.
Authorities allowed some residents to return to less-damaged neighborhoods after a meeting Thursday night. Earlier on Thursday, authorities determined 346 homes were destroyed when the fire suddenly intensified and swept through the Mountain Shadows neighborhood on Tuesday.
The remains of two people have been found in the damage area and “less than ten” people are unaccounted for, said Police Chief Pete Carey. He said authorities will continue searching for more possible victims.
Authorities said while the cause of the fire remains under investigation, they hope to devote more resources to determining a cause once the fire is more contained.
Bret Waters, the city’s emergency management director, said 275 residents are still living in three evacuation shelters.
Saturday morning at 9 a.m., El Paso County will open a disaster recovery center at 105 N. Spruce St. The center will provide a variety of services for fire evacuees. Hours are from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily.
