10/11 Crew Returns From Colorado Springs Wildfire
This weekend Meteorologist Tony DeGrand and Anchor/Reporter Bridget Fargen returned from Colorado Springs after spending three days helping sister station KKTV cover the Waldo Canyon Fire.
The fire is the most destructive in Colorado history destroying 346 homes, burning more than 17,000 acres and evacuating at least 32,000 people from their homes.
DeGrand spent most of his time in the weather center, building graphics and making daily fire perimeter maps to use during the coverage.
DeGrand's help was crucial because KKTV only had two meteorologist working during the fire coverage--their third meteorologist is on maternity leave.
Fargen covered anything the news director needed her to. She went to the local hospital to see how the smoke and air quality was affecting pregnant women. She also covered the President's arrival at a local fire station and some of the first people being allowed back into their homes after being evacuated.
Fargen says even when people were so happy to be in their homes, they said the moment was "bittersweet" because they had friends whose homes were now rubble.
Fargen and DeGrand say what impressed them the most was the resilience of the KKTV, firefighters and the entire Colorado Springs community.
Whenever the Care and Share Food Bank needed donations or volunteers, their needs were met within 30 minutes to an hour. People willingly donated toiletries, cereal, protein bars, water, Gatorade and much more for evacuated families and firefighters.
Chief Photographer Mike Petkash had his home destroyed Tuesday night after the fire swept down the mountain. He told Fargen he was just "thankful" to be alive.
Petkash was one of 346 homes destroyed in Colorado Springs. More than 32,000 were evacuated from their homes including more than 15% of the KKTV newsroom staff.
On top of the homes being destroyed, vandals burglarized some of the evacuated homes and yet most didn't stop coming to work.
KKTV was on the air for 130 hours straight bringing viewers the most up to date information on evacuations, damage and containment.
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