2 share reflections on wildfire one month later

Flames from the Waldo Canyon wildfire came just a few feet short of Jeffrey Scharf’s home near Blodgett Peak in the northwest corner of Colorado Springs. He said his home would have been lost had firefighters not saved it.

“They put a fire break along the side, and the fire burned right to that break and held,” he said.

Scharf is among many residents who reflected Thursday on the month anniversary of the fire’s destruction in nearby Mountain Shadows. Many weren’t as fortunate as he was. The blaze destroyed 346 homes.

Much of the city watched helplessly on June 26 as the fire, then at 5 percent containment and with the worst thought to be over, suddenly changed direction because of strong winds and intensified. Mountain Shadows residents evacuated just minutes before the fire swept through.

Scharf, thankful that his home wasn’t destroyed, said the experience has changed his life.

“There’s quite a few things we’re going to do,” he said. “We’re looking at fire prevention sprinklers, a different insurance contract, that sort of thing.”

Scarf, like many residents, anxiously waited for word on whether their houses were destroyed. He said he called his home’s answering machine every day to confirm that his house stood, until the smoke cleared enough to actually see it.

As recovery and rebuilding continues, authorities said the public should expect more smoke from the now-contained fire, and an increased risk of flash floods and mudslides.

“We have several fire managers constantly monitoring the fire,” said Rob Deyerberg, a fire information officer. “We’re taking at least one flight a day over the area.”

Deyerberg said it won’t be until fall at the earliest when the smoke will stop and some closed trails reopen. He also advised that residents who see smoke should not report it unless it is outside the burn area.

The wildfire was the first to burn this close to the city, and is believed to be the worst, since a fire near Fort Carson in the 1950s. The wildfire gave people a close-up look that was too close for comfort.

“It just sent chills through me, it really did,” said Deyerberg. “I hope we never see that again.”