Did You Know...

I took this photo of the Waldo Canyon Fire with my iPhone from the Chapel Hills Mall yesterday.

Our family is among the 11,000 residents of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs who have been evacuated in the wake of the Waldo Canyon Fire. We’re homeless, but safe for now — though the kids are devastated we couldn’t get their parakeets, Keets and Tweety, out of the house before security/emergency personnel cleared out our neighborhood.

We are so thankful for our many friends here and especially the heroic firefighters, police, and disaster relief officials and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to contain the fire and protect our homes.

Ways to help: Here.

Via Twitchy: How social media has played a critical role in organizing/reporting on the wildfires.

Per the latest press briefing, the fire is spreading in three directions – NE, SW, and NW. It’s a record-setting day of heat. Four C-130s are on the way to help tomorrow.

My online access will be intermittent, but check in 24/7 with the team at Twitchy for all the news you need to know and here at michellemalkin.com, where Doug Powers will keep you informed and entertained as always.

Keeping calm and trying to carry on!

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Update:

Pics I took at sunset from our hotel room…

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As of 9:30pm Mountain, some 3,600 acres have been destroyed. 6,000 people (including us) are still banned from returning home. Flare-ups are erupting overnight. The smoke is overwhelming.

It’s hard to breathe, in more ways than one…