Shluchim Flee Massive Colorado Wildfire

A Chabad shaliach and his family were among the 32,000 people who fled Colorado Springs in the face of the raging Waldo Canyon wildfire that began three days ago and continues to burn out of control.

The fire breached the containment area yesterday, with conditions exacerbated by hot dry weather and high winds and the first houses fell to the fire yesterday.

Colorado Springs’ Chabad community center, Shul and mikvah, as well as the home of the Chabad shaliach, Rabbi Moshe Eliezer Liberow are all dangerously close to the path of the blaze which doubled in size last night to encompass an twenty four mile area. The Chabad center is located in the northwestern part of Colorado Springs, the second largest city in the state, on West Rockrimmon Boulevard.

The United States Army has been called in to help with evacuations and as of this afternoon, the fire has reached the United States Air Force Academy, with all cadets being removed from the premises due to the blaze. The flames are moving eastward at a rapid rate and officials fear that once they cross the four lane Interstate 25, the remainder of city will be in danger as well.

“There is so much smoke here it has blocked out the sun,” Sergeant Baruch Zev Baitch who is assisting with evacuations. told VIN News.

While the flames could be seen from Colorado Springs several days ago, residents never expected the inferno to become part of their reality.

“We saw smoke outside on Shabbos, which looked both majestic and scary,” Rabbi Liberow told VIN News. “We didn’t realize how close it was or that it would be difficult to contain. It didn’t seem to be that serious.”

Rabbi Liberow left Colorado after Shabbos in order to take two of his children to summer camp on the East coast, returning to Denver International Airport late yesterday afternoon.

“I was coming back from the airport at 5:30 and driving down to Colorado Springs, it was mamash a pachad,” recalled Rabbi Liberow. “The sky, was black, brown, orange, it looked like a painting. The closer I got to town, the more I realized that this was a very serious matter. There were miles and miles of just orange and brown ahead of me. I tried calling my wife who was home with the rest of our children, but while I had been able to reach her earlier, I couldn’t get through and I got very scared. I called 911 to try to track her cell phone; I had no clue what had happened. Getting off the highway at our exit, there were cars everywhere and it was clear I was going to have to turn around and go back. As I was making my way back onto the highway, still on hold with 911, I see my wife’s car, two cars ahead of mine. I jumped out of my car and ran over to my wife’s vehicle. My wife and the kids just ran out of the house with the clothing on their backs and literally left everything we own behind.”

The Liberows drove to Denver, approximately sixty miles away, and with great difficulty, managed to find one available hotel room.

“Between the fire and a golf tournament in Denver, there was literally nothing available,” explained Rabbi Liberow. “We called hotel after hotel until we finally found one room available just for one night. For tonight, so far we have located just one small room, in a different hotel. Everything else is booked.”

According to Rabbi Liberow, who has been the shaliach in Colorado Springs for eleven years, many of the baalei batim live on the other side of town, in an area that is further away from the inferno. Located in a popular tourist area and near the United States Air Force Academy, many of the people who daven in the Shul are either visitors or military members.

“Our house, the Shul, the mikvah, they are right there, just minutes away from the fire,” said Rabbi Liberow, who noted that the Shul’s two sifrei Torah were rescued last night. “We are davening very hard and b’zechus tefillas rabin, we hope that all will be well.”

A website has already been set up to help both the Jewish community of Colorado Springs and the Liberow family. Donations can be made at www.chabadfirerelief.com.