When you quoted Aaron Feldman, what ran through my head was. BUY THE BOOK BEFORE THE FIRE !!

Thanks very much for posting this. Here in Oregon we hear bits of news about the fire but this truly brings into focus the magnitude of this tragedy. I pray for all of those that have lost so much already and fear for those still in harm's way. Mother Nature can be a real BITCH.

Thanks for the latest Colorado Springs fire and Summer Seminar update. I am flying tomorrow (June 29) to Colorado Springs to attend the second session of Summer Seminar. I am also teaching a mini-class on exonumia Sunday and Monday evening. The information and update you provided is very helpful. I am very familiar with the area, and this natural disaster will impact the area for a long time.

Thursday, was fine here in Colorado Springs. Yes, the fires are still burning in the canyon, but no winds allowed a pretty much smoke-free day here at the Summer Seminar at Colorado College.

I flew in Wednesday and it was pretty bad, as the smoke could be smelled at the airport. Next to me on my flight was a hapless fellow, who bought his house a month ago, moved in two weeks ago, and had it burn down Tuesday. He lost everything but his wife's jewelry, a photo album, and his Harley. The rest was a total loss. It certainly made my flight into the Springs a new experience. I felt his pain.

Hopefully, no more houses will go up in flames and, thankfully, no one has been seriously injured.

Ken and June Hallenbeck have been notified that they can return home. The fire is still burning, but it is moving north, away from Colorado Springs. The air is still a bit smoky, but not as bad as it was a couple days ago.

Here is a very nice video of the first five days of the Waldo Canyon fire. We are fine and only suffered from smoke. 350 homes destroyed, two dead and it's still burning, but 25% contained. Ute Pass still closed and still many evacuees, including the one at our house. The video is taken from north of the Air Force Academy.