“The biggest need right now for the firefighters are eye drops and baby powder,” said Sullivan who just relocated to Colorado Springs. “But, we’ve got churches, schools and businesses opening their doors in various ways. Either as shelters, prayer centers or just a place to re-group with your family and friends.”

At the time of this report Peg Mamalakis was almost certain flames had engulfed her home. Fire coverage maps indicate her two-bedroom patio home is in the parameter where some 200 homes have been destroyed by the raging Waldo Canyon wildfires.

Mamalakis has lived in Colorado Springs for some 20 years. She has worked the same number of years as an award-winning graphic artist at Focus on the Family designing children’s publication Clubhouse Magazine.

But Tuesday her world of bright hues and smiling, youthful faces, turned to grief and sorrow.

Mamalakis was one of 32,000 Colorado Springs residents who received a frantic mandatory evacuation notice in recent days. She quickly packed some of her personal belongings, a few photo albums, some clothing and rounded up her dog and cat praying she would return to her white-trimmed gray home within a few days.
“I was lying in bed and would periodically think of something that I didn’t get,” Mamalakis said as her voice cracked. “I’m sure I am going to have those inklings. I knew I couldn’t take everything, but I’ve tried to have a positive attitude that everything would be there.”

With the likelihood she lost her home heavy on her mind, Mamalakis stayed with a friend, but Thursday had to evacuate that home as well to flee the wildfires, called by Colorado Springs fire chief Richard Brown, a “firestorm of epic proportions.”
“I feel blessed that there are people who care about me and have taken me in,” said Mamalakis. “I am still kind of numb. This is a very surreal experience to go through. I know God is taking care of me. You have to be at peace because you have no control – God is in control.”

Her cousin’s home near the famous Broadmoor Hotel is now safe harbor for Mamalakis and her pets.

Thousands Evacuate Homes and Churches

Seven wildfires presently rage through the state of Colorado. Reports show that only 5 percent of the Waldo Canyon fire is contained, making it one of the most devastating in history.

The massive wildfire that started around the popular hiking spot Waldo Canyon west of Colorado Springs forced the evacuation of neighborhoods and caused many churches to cancel worship services and other activities. The Flying W Ranch, a Christian, Western entertainment ranch and a frequent destination for Colorado believers, was burned to the ground. Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry, is within a mile of the evacuation area. Numerous Colorado Springs landmarks are threatened, including Garden of the Gods Park, Peterson Air Force Base, and Northgate Air Force Academy.

No casualties have been reported and no churches have been destroyed.
Ministries Both Help and Seek Assistance

While more than 1,000 firefighters are working to contain the 15,517-acre blaze, the Christian community has elevated its relief efforts in response to Colorado wildfires that had consumed 181,426 acres by Wednesday afternoon.

Colorado Springs is home to a number of international Christian ministries who have headquarters near the heart of the blaze. Staff at Navigatorsand its adjacent property, Glen Eyrie conference center, have safely evacuated their facilities and are working out of the nearby Focus on the Family offices, currently out of harms way.

Record heat and 65 mph winds pushed flames onto the Eagle Lake Camp grounds Monday, another Navigator’s property, which damaged one small structure. Navigator officials said firefighters are at the camp, using it as a staging area and working to protect camp buildings.

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