Wednesday was a good day for a funeral. It was partly cloudy overall but mostly sunny at Fort Logan National Cemetery where the family gathered to say good-bye to Bill.

It was a good turnout, and the honor guard of Veterans, most of them older folks, men and women, was provided from the ranks of the VFW and American Legion. The Chaplain was a veteran of World War Two, and the two active duty airmen who handled the presentation of the American Flag were absolutely first rate.

Bill was not a careerist, like the people I have seen buried with full military honors at Arlington. He was a citizen soldier, who answered the call, wore the uniform with pride, and went on with a productive and rich civilian life.

These other citizen soldiers gave him that unique honor that the careerists will never quite get- the military did not define their lives. It is a mark of selfless service, and the honor was remarkably touching in the vast swath of white stones that mark the last resting place of thousands of citizen soldiers.

Tears there were, and honor. Bill has a good place on a hill, near the pond. It was fitting, and it is one of the better works of man that has created this place of peace.

When the crisp ceremony was done, and the brass from the three volleys of the honor guard was collected and presented, the motorcade departed for the home of Cousin Marshall and his lovely wife Jenifer, and the celebration of Bill’s life and that of the family commenced.

It was a glorious afternoon, filled with stories and children and dogs and fine food and drink. Sitting out on the deck, I saw a flash of lightning, heard a roll of thunder, and actually felt a sprinkle of rain.

“Hallilujah!” I thought- any moisture is good, because of what was coming next. The smoke still clung to the air, and softened the view of the mountains, and there were things to do and people to see on the other side of the Black Forest Fire, the largest and most devastating wildfire in Colorado history.

Wednesday was not a good day for the residents of Black Forest.

Here’s the story from the Colorado Springs Gazette:

El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa says at least 360 homes are complete losses – a number he calls “shocking” – and another 14 are damaged as firefighters prepare to face another “red flag” day fighting the Black Forest Fire. Maketa said 38,000 people have been forced from their homes by the Black Forest Fire, again exceeding the 32,000 evacuated from Colorado Springs during the Waldo Canyon Fire.

An update late Thursday put the number of homes destroyed at 379, with 9 others damaged. 1813 homes in the burn area were undamaged – saved by firefighters in many cases. “Homes” aren’t the same thing as “structures” – lots of barns, garages, sheds and commercial buildings were also destroyed. Two people have been killed.

Thursday morning the overburdened sheriff was relieved of overall response coordination duty by the feds – Rich Harvey and his Type 1 Incident Management Team, which flew in from Nevada. Harvey led the effort against the Waldo Canyon Fire last year. But, as the Gazette points out…

“Despite the change in command Thursday morning, little else could change. The Incident Management Team brings more firefighters and resources, experience and the political clout it takes to get additional resources. But they bring no guarantee that the fire will quiet down, said Bill Gabbert, former President of the International Association of Wildland Fire. “In order for the fire to stop, something has to change,” Gabbert said, referring to three key elements that move fires – weather, landscape and things to burn.”

Here’s what the situation looked like as of Thursday morning:

This is based on infrared imagery, probably from a weather satellite. You can see the Black Forest in dark green and the leading edges of the fire in red. Most of the damage Wednesday occurred on the eastern side of Black Forest as the wind drove the fire north (the orange boxes). Soon that prong of the fire will push out into grassland, greatly decreasing the available fuel.

More dangerous is the western side of the fire. There you have still more pine forest to the northwest and a heavily developed corridor between Highway 83 and Interstate 25. For example, the Woodmoor area – just east of Monument and almost entirely inside the pine forest along Highway 105 – includes about 3000 houses.

I looked at the Trafficland site after rising and latching on to the first conference call of the morning out of Washington. I was distracted, and didn’t follow the conversation about staffing as well as I could, to check the cameras along I-25, but most are inoperable this morning. The Interstate is colored green, which is to say the service says that the way is open.

I will let you know if it works out that way. More tomorrow, I hope. The fire may be one of the worst acts of man possible.

Copyright 2013 Colorado Springs Gazette and Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com