Waldo Canyon victims’ exhibit has new home

El Paso County leaders and Waldo Canyon Fire victims hope the third time is a charm for an exhibit featuring 35 families affected by the June 2012 disaster.

The exhibit, “Faces of the Fire,” officially reopened Wednesday on the second floor of the county’s Citizens’ Service Center on Garden of the Gods Road.

Co-creator Wendy Nelson describes the exhibit as a “photo-documentary” that features pictures, written recollections and examples of lost and recovered possessions.

“I think this is the perfect place for it,” Nelson said. “The community will be able to see it in a public building while getting marriage licenses and driver’s licenses. I’m hoping it will help us remember what happened and inspire us.”

Nelson said county leaders offered space for the exhibit after previous stops at the Gold Hill Mesa Community Center and UCCS.

“This building was evacuated for the fire,” she said. “If the fire had come a little farther east, the building would have burned. You can see the burn scar and Mountain Shadows from here.”

C.J. Moore lost two homes in the fire and paused to reflect in front of her photo.

“The photos show how we felt about the fire three months afterward,” she said. “You look away and try not to cry a little bit because of things you’re never going to get back.”

Local journalist Liz Cobb worked with Nelson to create the exhibit.

The exhibit, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., is across from the Office of the Clerk and Recorder.