High Park Fire - Paul
- Thread starter duke1n
- Start date
From my FB page..
Been in the camper the last week or so, but they kicked everybody off the Mtn. on Friday and I need to deal with some insurance crap in town anyway. The 100 degree heat is pretty un-bearable in that aluminum box, so I let State Farm Insurance put me up at the Best Western Kiva Inn, in Ft. Collins.
Went to the evac center, located at "The Ranch"... (Larimer cnty Fairgrounds) the last few days to talk to my insurance people. They made me feel Like I was going to be hooked up pretty good...Hopefully it pans out that way. They said they'd pay for my motel and then a house rental while I'm in limbo. Probably the best day I'll have with them! A good friend of mine was a catastrophy counselor after Katrina and she doesn't have to much good to say about them. I made sure they knew I was a big wheel on FB and Snowest and not to try and mess with me or I'd give them bad rep! lol
Been in the camper the last week or so, but they kicked everybody off the Mtn. on Friday and I need to deal with some insurance crap in town anyway. The 100 degree heat is pretty un-bearable in that aluminum box, so I let State Farm Insurance put me up at the Best Western Kiva Inn, in Ft. Collins.
Went to the evac center, located at "The Ranch"... (Larimer cnty Fairgrounds) the last few days to talk to my insurance people. They made me feel Like I was going to be hooked up pretty good...Hopefully it pans out that way. They said they'd pay for my motel and then a house rental while I'm in limbo. Probably the best day I'll have with them! A good friend of mine was a catastrophy counselor after Katrina and she doesn't have to much good to say about them. I made sure they knew I was a big wheel on FB and Snowest and not to try and mess with me or I'd give them bad rep! lol
From my FB page the day my house burnt.
Ironically, this morning, a good friend on the fire dept. got me access to pick up a prescription I had forgotten at my house. Was also a good chance to toss the rotting food out of the fridge and give the plants a shot of water. Everyone was acting like it was over and that everything was going to be back to normal soon. I wanted to believe, but I knew the forecast. RED flag winds, record heat... and 0 humidity for the next three days! Then the wind started cranking up (as it is likely to do for weeks at a time, not just a few days!)
Today, Sheep Mtn. was a smoldering beast just waiting to be given some air. Air it was given....to the tune of 30 to 40 MPH! The fire hit the heavily timbered north slope and took a direct bead on my neighborhood. I can only imagine how fast the firefighers got the F out of the way! And rightly so. There was nothing our brave men and women could do in the face of that monster. Aircraft were impotent against it. The winds and smoke were more than they could deal with.
As I packed up my camper, I watched it grow from my perch near Manhead Mtn, a few miles away. I visited a boulder pile that gave me a clear view of Sheep Mtn. Sheep Mtn was somewhere in a haze of smoke and I new the beast had got it's break and was running with it. Within 45 minutes it was already well past my house and bearing down on the Hewlett Gulch subdivisions. On the way out I pulled over just before McNeigh hill where I knew I could see my house on Green Mtn. All I saw was a wall of smoke and flame with fleeting glimpses of my blackened hill in the background. I still wasn't sure my house was gone, but my head said it likely was.
It was 9 news video of my hill that confirmed what I thought was so. I broke down for awhile, then got on the phone with my friends and neighbors. I'm not all that religious and I'm not sure what it's all about, but I feel I share a spirtitual bond with my brothers and sisters who try to walk a righteous path in this world. I pray in my own way, but maybe not like most people do. I pray for my good friends that lost their homes today, that they get through this and go on stronger than ever. I feel privaledged to know the people I call friends; they are the finest kind of people you'll ever meet. Quite a few lost their retirement homes and just as many were still in their working years and scrimped and scraped to get their home on the mountain. I've come to find out I know a lot of very fine people during these last few weeks. I always knew this, but their support brought it home again. Thankyou for your moral support, you have no idea how much it means to know you care.
Great thanks to the fire-fighters who did their damndest! You guys did all you could and everyone owes you a great debt of gratitude. In the end, Ma nature is going to have her due and there was no stopping her today. Second guess all ya want, we'd have been burnt out a week ago if it was'nt for the fire-fighters heroic efforts. Keep up the good fight!
Ironically, this morning, a good friend on the fire dept. got me access to pick up a prescription I had forgotten at my house. Was also a good chance to toss the rotting food out of the fridge and give the plants a shot of water. Everyone was acting like it was over and that everything was going to be back to normal soon. I wanted to believe, but I knew the forecast. RED flag winds, record heat... and 0 humidity for the next three days! Then the wind started cranking up (as it is likely to do for weeks at a time, not just a few days!)
Today, Sheep Mtn. was a smoldering beast just waiting to be given some air. Air it was given....to the tune of 30 to 40 MPH! The fire hit the heavily timbered north slope and took a direct bead on my neighborhood. I can only imagine how fast the firefighers got the F out of the way! And rightly so. There was nothing our brave men and women could do in the face of that monster. Aircraft were impotent against it. The winds and smoke were more than they could deal with.
As I packed up my camper, I watched it grow from my perch near Manhead Mtn, a few miles away. I visited a boulder pile that gave me a clear view of Sheep Mtn. Sheep Mtn was somewhere in a haze of smoke and I new the beast had got it's break and was running with it. Within 45 minutes it was already well past my house and bearing down on the Hewlett Gulch subdivisions. On the way out I pulled over just before McNeigh hill where I knew I could see my house on Green Mtn. All I saw was a wall of smoke and flame with fleeting glimpses of my blackened hill in the background. I still wasn't sure my house was gone, but my head said it likely was.
It was 9 news video of my hill that confirmed what I thought was so. I broke down for awhile, then got on the phone with my friends and neighbors. I'm not all that religious and I'm not sure what it's all about, but I feel I share a spirtitual bond with my brothers and sisters who try to walk a righteous path in this world. I pray in my own way, but maybe not like most people do. I pray for my good friends that lost their homes today, that they get through this and go on stronger than ever. I feel privaledged to know the people I call friends; they are the finest kind of people you'll ever meet. Quite a few lost their retirement homes and just as many were still in their working years and scrimped and scraped to get their home on the mountain. I've come to find out I know a lot of very fine people during these last few weeks. I always knew this, but their support brought it home again. Thankyou for your moral support, you have no idea how much it means to know you care.
Great thanks to the fire-fighters who did their damndest! You guys did all you could and everyone owes you a great debt of gratitude. In the end, Ma nature is going to have her due and there was no stopping her today. Second guess all ya want, we'd have been burnt out a week ago if it was'nt for the fire-fighters heroic efforts. Keep up the good fight!
with them suspenders you look like Mork from ork...lol
Not sure why or how I had that image on my computer...but there it was...waiting for it's time.
I could only imagine what you must be going thru....just know you are loved by many and we are all waiting to leap into action and help however we can.
H
Hammertime
Active member
Sorry for your loss Bushy! D&D send you our best wishes to get through this. Let us know how State Farm takes care of you. They should pay the total loss amount for the numbers you were insured for. Personal Property as well get a copy of your homeowners policy. Should say on the Declarations page. Additional living expenses until you get yourself restored.
And thanks for the update on snowest not ALL of us are on facecrook.
And thanks for the update on snowest not ALL of us are on facecrook.
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Condolences on losing your home. Your "joke" picture looks like it was a nice setup. Glad you have an insurance option, not everyone always does.
Looks like stage 3 fire level is coming next. Hopefully people won't be too bent out of shape on that level of restriction. I've never seen that level before but I likely won't get to ride my moto or do any camping the rest of the summer. Paul's situation is the reason. Half of the state is on fire.
Looks like stage 3 fire level is coming next. Hopefully people won't be too bent out of shape on that level of restriction. I've never seen that level before but I likely won't get to ride my moto or do any camping the rest of the summer. Paul's situation is the reason. Half of the state is on fire.
Paul,
Just got back into town. So sorry to hear about your loss and the loss of so many. Sad sad deal this year with all these fires.
Gary
Just got back into town. So sorry to hear about your loss and the loss of so many. Sad sad deal this year with all these fires.
Gary
The video of my neighborhood. Dubbed the "burnouts". Apparently there was the aroma of burning ganja in the air. lol Some were lucky the evidence went up in smoke, as the Sheriff was on to several little grow ops in my area. Had survellience equipment installed and were ready to make a couple busts. You can see my foundation at about 1:20 of the video. It's the upper "house" between the two houses that survived the fire. Just amazing anything survived and some trees remained un-burnt.
http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?storyid=273814
http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?storyid=273814
H
HOTRODREDNECK
Well-known member
sorry to hear about your house. hope everything works out for ya. i'm there if you need help with whatever.
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