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Pray for the folks in Boulder CO area

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Boulder Ed

Boulder Ed

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May 22, 2013
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Location
Thorndale, tx
First Name
Ed
Last Name
Baker
I just got off the phone with a friend who lives in CO and the fire is less than 2 miles from his home. He shared that several of my friends have probably lost homes already in the fire in Superior/Lewisville area, or will in the next hours. Lots of folks I knew from ADV live in that area as well. Please pray for protection and God's comfort as these folks go through this nightmare. There is no real effective way to stop a Chinook wind fueled blaze.
 
Checked on Poser from here, he's 2 hours away. Checked on Tim, no reply. Very sad.
 
I spent 3 years on the vfd when i lived there and never saw a plains fire like this.
 
Fires now feel weird. Used to them in the summer.
 
Many don't know there are summer and winter fire seasons. Central Texas also has two wildfire seasons. Winter fire season begins with the first hard freeze which kills off the light fuels (grasses) which then dry out and provide fuel for a fast moving wildfire. Wind-driven fires are very difficult to control. This is the same scenario that caused the Bastrop wildfires in 2009 and 2011.

I think Tim is in Centennial which is southwest of Denver, the fires are northwest of Denver along Hwy 36 between Denver and Boulder.

While we pray for those impacted, we should also look at our own homes and take steps now to protect them and help the fire fighters protect them. Those living in suburban and rural areas are particularly at risk. Building defensible space (things that don't burn) is key. Keeping the trees away from your home, the grass short, and the shrubbery next to the house to a minimum goes a long way. I lost count of how many fences I drove through during the 2011 Bastrop complex fire to break the continuity of fuel. Folks who had good defensible space lost their homes because the wood fence acts like a fuse and allows the fire to go to the house, catch the soffit on fire which moves into the attic and burns the house down. Just opening a gate will break that fuse and save the house. Leaves in gutters, debris on the roof (for those in the piney woods) and combustible items against the house should all be minimized or removed. Replacing wood siding with hardy siding (concrete) or rock. The key is to keep the flame lengths low (less than 1 ft) when the fire gets to the house. If you can do that there is a very high probability that the house will survive. I saw this first hand in 2011.

Just heard from a friend near there, snow arrived today which should help.

Keep praying and stay safe!
 
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