The Waldo Canyon Fire fueled by extremely dry conditions and strong winds, it had burned 18,247 acres (74 square kilometers) by July 5. Was first reported on June 23, 2012, burning in Pike National Forest, three miles (5 kilometers) west of Colorado Springs.
The most destructive fire in Colorado history. The blaze severely damaged or destroyed 346 homes. Mountain Shadows, a neighborhood northwest of the Colorado Springs city center, experienced some of the most severe damage.
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on the Terra satellite acquired this view of the burn scar on July 4, 2012, when the fire was still burning but was 90 percent contained. Vegetation-covered land is red in the false-color image, which includes both visible and infrared light. Patches of unburned forest are bright red, in contrast with areas where flecks of light brown indicate some burning. The darkest brown areas are the most severely burned. Buildings, roads, and other developed areas appear light gray and white. The bright red patches of vegetation near Colorado Springs are golf courses, parks, or other irrigated land.