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The foothills on the northwest side still bear the mark of the Waldo Canyon Fire, which ravaged this part of town in June of 2012. Those trees aren't bare because it's winter, they're bare because they've been burned to a crisp. Even a picturesque layer of snow can't disguise the destruction. Although you can't see houses because of the tight cropping of the photo, this in a neighborhood; 346 homes here and the beloved Flying W Ranch burned down on June 26th, which was a horrible and unforgettable day in our city's history. Two of my friends lost their homes. Less than a year later, almost 500 homes were destroyed in the Black Forest Fire. It was a bad couple of summers. It'll be decades before the destructive path of the Waldo Canyon Fire finally recedes.