We were visiting the Academy, when my dad and I saw the small puff of smoke slowly grow into the huge blaze/smoky haze that is now floating over Tejon and Colorado Springs. Neither of us thought it could get this bad.
I really hope that this fire does not advance over the ridge that it's behind. There are homes right there. At least for now, the good news is that there hasn't been structural damage, and USAFA itself is safe.
I'm kinda curious: With all the ash and smoke and stuff that is around the area, I wonder if it will affect the cadets that will be arriving for BCT in like 3-4 days... I hope that it's not as big a health concern as the news is making it out to be; beast is tough enough without sputtering coughs.
They said they're sending in 2 C130s in to drop some flame retardant on the Waldo Canyon fire. (I'm not gonna lie, I'm very excited to see this) I'm glad that the AF is helping out! The KKTV11 station also said that they sent in Navy Seal Firefighters, and have the most elite of firefighters battling this blaze. I hope that they remain safe...
(On a side note, I'm very very amazed at the awesome helpful community spirit of the Colorado Springs natives. So many kind people came together to help out the people that had to evacuate!)
I took this picture about an hour or two after the fire started:
http://distilleryimage11.s3.amazonaws.com/dde79a62bd6f11e1b9f1123138140926_7.jpg
It is much more hazy now.