Meezer Wednesday Special: Fire & Rescue

FIRESTORM

The situation was grim. A fast-moving wildfire had surrounded the rural town of Ordway, in southeastern Colorado, on three sides. Only one option was available … complete evacuation of the town.

The Crowley County Sheriff’s Department implemented their emergency reverse 911plan to notify each resident and business to abandon the town. The black smoke, which many in the small town had seen, was becoming thicker and closer. The wildfire driven by high winds (35-50 mph with gusts to 65 mph), low humidity (less than 5%), and high temperatures (near 90 deg F) was unpredictable.

The fire departments from 12 surrounding towns raced to Ordway, hoping to make a stand at the edge of town. Reports from the town were sketchy all Tuesday afternoon. Several homes and barns were engulfed by flames, possibly a commercial business in Ordway proper on fire as well. But, in a matter of two hours, the fire had grown from 1000 acres to nearly 6500 acres.

With evening approaching, no respite from the fire was expected. Winds were to remain strong in the 15-25 mph range with gusts near 35-40 mph, and humidities remaining in the 5-10% range. At 10 pm Tuesday evening, the fire was 0% contained.

Through the night, considerable progress was made. Containment had grown to 80%, with nearly 9000 acres scorched. By late this afternoon, complete containment was achieved.

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While the Ordway fire was unfolding, a separate wildfire had flared up closer to home, on the Ft. Carson training range. The Ft. Carson fire actually began on Monday afternoon, but was quickly brought under control by Monday evening. The fire site remained quiet Tuesday morning into early afternoon, when strong winds breathed new life into the smoldering embers.

The fire exploded into full fury, quickly spreading from a few hundred acres into 1500 acres. The conditions fanning the Ordway fire were the similar at Ft. Carson, though the temperatures were closer to 80 deg F. Feeding the fire was dried out grass and brush, which eventually found its way into a thick stand of Ponderosa Pine. The Army always wanted to control burn this stand but were repeatedly denied in federal court.

Because of the rugged terrain and swirling winds, it was determined the fire should be allowed to burn itself out. The strategy seemed to be working until 5 pm when another set of strong winds came into the area and revived the fire once again. The strong winds persisted through the evening, jumping several fire breaks. By 10 pm Tuesday evening, the fire had grown to 9000 acres with no containment.

Through the overnight hours, the fire slowed as the winds decreased. By noon today, the fire size was 9500 acres with 10% containment. Though there was some concern the fire would head in another direction with a change in wind direction, those fears were quickly put to rest. A cold front bringing a winter storm to the area were making the conditions less than ideal. It is expected the wintry weather would permit the firefighters to gain control by Thursday morning.

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RESCUE

Late last week, an effort to rescue 60 cats in neighboring Teller County, in a home that is to be foreclosed on Thursday afternoon, began. The Teller County Regional Animal Shelter needed assistance to find homes, permanent and foster, for the 60 cats. The five dogs and three buns that lived there were already taken into the shelter and transferred into rescue. For the cats, volunteers were providing food, fresh water, and clean litter boxes for the past two weeks. There was an urgency for a quick resolution … the bank intended to foreclose on the home and possibly order the euthanization of all animals on the property.

On Monday, the rescue effort began in earnest. Joining the effort were Dreampower Animal Rescue and Hamlett Spay and Neuter Clinic. Hamlett had provided spay and neuter services to the homeowner, losing contact sometime over the past few months. On Tuesday and today, the effort is concentrating on rounding up as many cats as possible. At the same time, Dreampower is negotitating with the bank handling the foreclosure for extra time to secure all the cats. Presently, Dreampower and several other local rescues are providing resources on two other major hoarding cases.

Though the homeowner in this case has been described as a hoarder, she is far from the classic description. All of her animals are in excellent health, well fed, well groomed, and well socialized. The cats are all litter-box trained. She is described as someone who simply ran out of money to care for the animals and pay the mortgage on her house.

An update will follow as it’s still unfolding.