To The Center

The Waldo Canyon fire has reached 98 percent containment on Friday night.

The Gazette reported that the fire had spread up to 18,247 acres all together.

Now that the fire is 98 percent contained, the city is now facing another issue — flooding. Heavy rains and flash floods are now a part of the forecast.

Because of the enormous amount of damage from the fires, flash floods could be an issue for years.

“Once the rain hits the areas that burned hotly, those soils will not be enough to absorb any of the moisture,” meteorologist Kathy Torgerson with the National Weather Service in Pueblo told the Gazette. “It will mix with the ash and cause these mud and ash flows. And they can be quite dramatic.”

To date, according to theHuffington Post Denver, There are 412 firefighters, 3 helicopters, 16 engines, and 4 dozers still fighting the last 2 percent.

The blaze has destroyed 347 homes and claimed the lives of an elderly couple. Thirty two homes have been burglarized and dozens of vehicles have been broken into.

Officials have not yet said whether they know the cause of the fire but they have located where the fire started at.

They are not releasing the details of the origin yet.