u/Murf_dog_

I do apologize for my update being late today! I was taking advantage of the cold morning to do yardwork.

Yesterday was on/off wind/smoke all day. And we had no fireworks that I heard at all this weekend! So good job on everyone who resisted the urge to go full 4th of July hogwild.

The picture included is from Mnt View Coffee at 630am. As you can see, it is smokey and gross already. From the Sheriff's latest report: it seems like the firefighters are worried most about the southern (and south east) edge, second most worried about the northern edge.

In other news: Bishop's Castle in southern Colorado in the Aspen Acres fire has not been lost!

As we wrap up this holiday weekend: I sincerely hope you all have had a wonderful 4th (and surrounding days). I also sincerely hope to see many of you at the race series, but I think the races should not happen for the rest of the summer out of caution.

Have a wonderful day, y'all!

Yesterday was intermittent wind and smoke in town.

Today, as seen in the picture taken at the bottom (west end) of Mountain View, there is a "smoke bubble ". Once the sun comes up and "pops" the bubble, the smoke will spread. We expect to see intermittent smoke throughout the day.

Some new evacuation and pre-evacuation zones have been added. However, the status updates we got yesterday made it seem like a whole lot of things have to go terribly wrong to have the fire hit the "in town" area of Leadville.

I have no idea what will happen with the race series, but this fire is going to smolder and flare up for weeks. It would be more responsible to cancel the race series this year. It truly breaks my heart as I want to run the races, but the last thing we need is extra chaos and people in town.

I hope you all have an amazing weekend and may your weekend running sessions be fantastic and entertaining.

Yesterday was a mix of blue skies and tons of smoke, depending on which way the wind was blowing.

There was a town meeting last night that had a ton of great information that makes me feel like the situation is as under control as possible.

The Leadville race series will be deciding by Tuesday if the Silver Rush will happen this year.

Today, as seen in the 630AM MST picture from Mnt View Coffee, there is definitely a smoke bubble. The sun was just starting to crest the mountains when I took the picture, so the winds and smoke will kick up soon.

Around town, things still feel fairly normal, but generally quieter. The Elks Lodge still hosted their weekly Bingo and Dinner night yesterday (chicken tenders were dinner, if anyone was curious).

I hope these updates are still helping any of you who are seeking information. I also want to say thank you to all of you sending your support in any way you can, even if it is just sending along some good vibes.

Have a wonderful day, everyone! And please keep your personal and community fire safety in mind over this holiday weekend.

Yesterday was a mix of beautiful blue skies and mid to heavy smoke/haze.

Overnight was cold and very little wind.

This morning (pic taken at 630am from Mnt View coffee) shows a lot of haze, but you can still make out the mountains a bit. The weather report is guessing 70° with mild to mid winds today (at least the report I am reading says that). We will see what happens with the day, but fingers crossed for the return of the water dropping helicopters today!

The feeling around town is annoyed and tired, but business as per usual.

Anyway, time to go clean up my yard more before the heat of the day hits.

Good morning, all!

I bet a bunch of you are on the Watch Duty app keeping an eye on things, but I wanted to give you an update that is first-hand.

Sunday - We evacuated and it looked apocalyptic. The smoke was turning the moon red in Silverthorne and the winds were very high. Power remained on, so we were able to watch our security cameras.

Monday - Winds were still high, but it was less smokey. Fedex, UPS, and USPS were out doing deliveries as per usual. Power remained on, so we were watching through the cameras again

Tuesday - We returned to Leadville. We have seen way worse smoke in town from fires that were hundreds of miles away. It was kind of smokey, but we could see the big, beautiful blue sky for most of the day.

Wednesday (today, 730AM MST) - It went below the freeze line last night! And it remains cold and pretty still this morning. It is a bit hazy, but not terrible. We are waiting on the official 8AM MST morning report for the official update. The pic included is from one of my cameras. A tad smokey, but not outright scary.

The tension and overall feeling town is more annoyed than scared. We are all very annoyed and quite upset that this happened and definitely want to know what caused the fire, but the town is operating at only a little bit elevated sense of urgency. There are lots of people offering to help evacuate those who cannot evacuate themselves and I know of several people with animal trailers who are picking up large animals and dropping them off at farms in Fairplay who are happy to provide shelter. There are tons of people going the same for small animals. We seem to have the non-fire-fighting needs running smoothly.

For those of you who want to help from afar: keep an eye on the various Leadville social media pages. There may be calls for funds, equipment, and/or supplies. Any help there would be appreciated.

If any of the other Leadville races happen this summer and for future races: please select your supporters (pacers, crew, and spectators) very carefully. If you have even the slightest notion they will not follow the laws, treat the town with respect, and be overly cautious about potential fires, do NOT bring them. Please also have a conversation with your supporters about emergency plans, best practices for preventing fires, and what to do if they encounter a fire. We could all use a review as this is definitely a "better safe than sorry" thing to do.

Personally: I have fire extinguishers in each car and located throughout the house along with several fire blankets. Today, I am filling several 5-gallon buckets with sand, others with water, and stationing them strategically around my property. I am also raking up all the dead pine needles and dead branches on my land into a single pile as far away from any trees as I can (not ideal, I know, but it is easier to soak a single pile than an acre).

If you also live in an area that is in danger, feel free to use my adhoc process to prep yourself. If any of your are interested, I can share my "Ah crap, we have to evacuate" packing list (including all the things I have learned from this first evacuation).

Please keep sending along the good vibes and hope. Keep an eye out for updates and ways to support, if needed.

If you all like these updates, I am happy to make them. I know this town means as much to many of you as it does to me. Know that Leadville, while some locals might be spicy about the race series does appreciate your support.