A little more than a year ago, one of the most destructive wildfires in Colorado history claimed 346 homes and two lives (covered by In Focus here and here). The Waldo Canyon Fire swept through neighborhoods of Colorado Springs, taking out entire streets and leaving the landscape blackened. Residents vowed to rebuild, and construction has quickly brought many of the neighborhoods back, some places nearly fully recovered. Reuters photographer Rick Wilking and others have been tracking the story since the first flames erupted last year, revisiting now and then to document the reconstruction of a community. The photos below show a brief glimpse of that journey: what comes next for those affected by such a disaster.
Rebuilding After the Waldo Canyon Fire
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Read moreMembers of the Howell family look at their house under construction in the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire that destroyed most of the homes on this road, including Howell's, in Colorado Springs, Colorado March 27, 2013. From left, Jocelyn, Scott and Philip Howell lost their home in the fire which destroyed 346 houses in June 2012. #
Reuters/Rick Wilking -
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Read moreLast year, on June 26, 2012, flames from the Waldo Canyon wildfire burn above homes as it moved into subdivisions and destroyed homes in Colorado Springs, Colorado. #
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Read moreOn June 28, 2012, a partially destroyed house smolders in Colorado Springs. #
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Read moreOn June 30, 2012, homes destroyed by the Waldo Canyon fire, photographed from the air in a neighborhood of Colorado Springs. #
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Read moreOn July 16, 2012, a set of charred silverware lies on the ground after being recovered from the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire that destroyed most of the homes on Courtney Drive in Colorado Springs. #
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Read moreOn June 30, 2012, homes and cars destroyed by the Waldo Canyon fire, seen from the air above Colorado Springs. #
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Read moreOn July 13, 2012, Scott Howell gestures to the line of destroyed houses on Courtney Drive, in Colorado Springs. The Waldo Canyon fire destroyed 346 homes in June 2012. #
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Read moreOn July 2, 2012, the words, "We Will Rebuild," written on the driveway of a house leveled by the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs. #
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Read moreOn July 9, 2012, signs are placed in the yard of a home destroyed by the Waldo Canyon wildfire in Colorado Springs. #
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Read moreJonar Howell shovels around the foundation of his new house in the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire that destroyed most of the homes on this road in Colorado Springs, on December 13, 2012. #
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Read moreThe fire-scarred foundation of a home destroyed in the Waldo Canyon wildfire last June stands in the foreground as new homes are built northwest of Colorado Springs, Colorado, on June 18, 2013. #
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Read moreA combination of photos show (clockwise from top left) the remains of a burned-out house, a view of the old foundation which has been removed and the hole filled in for a house, beginnings of a foundation for a house, and rebuilt homes and vacant lots on Courtney Drive in Colorado Springs, on July 29, 2012, November 15, 2012, February 21, 2013, and June 26, 2013. #
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Read moreA mural is painted on the foundations of a house next to new structures being built in the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs, on March 27, 2013. #
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Read moreA combination photo shows (clockwise from top left) the remains of Scott Howell's burned-out house, a hole being dug for the foundation of his house, the beginnings of the foundation, and rebuilt homes, including Scott Howell's (bottom), on Courtney Drive in Colorado Springs, on July 29, 2012, November 15, 2012, February 21, 2013, and June 26, 2013. #
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Read moreThe Foster family sits on the deck of their new house, which is under construction after the Waldo Canyon fire that destroyed most of the houses on Courtney Drive in Colorado Springs, on March 27, 2013. From left, Eliza, Nina, Zandra and Angus Foster lost their home in the fire which destroyed 346 houses on June 26, 2012. #
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Read more(1 of 2) The remains of burned-out homes on Majestic Drive in Colorado Springs, on July 14, 2012. #
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Read more(2 of 2) Rebuilt homes and vacant lots on Majestic Drive in Colorado Springs, on June 26, 2013, the one year anniversary of the fire. #
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Read moreA newly rebuilt home stands behind burnt trees on Majestic Drive, the year after the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs, on March 27, 2013. #
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Read moreResidents of Courtney Drive pose for a group picture on the one year anniversary of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs, on June 26, 2013. #
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