Three years ago today, the Waldo Canyon fire exploded down the Front Range into Mountain Shadows, killing two, destroying 346 homes and causing $453.7 million in losses.

But instead of simply observing the sad anniversary, some are mourning the recent vandalism of a memorial bench placed in Mountain Shadows Park in November to honor the victims of the fire.

The bench was a resin sculpture of a log with a rabbit on one side and a fox standing atop the other end.

The log was created using a mold from a burned log salvaged from the aftermath of the fire. Then an artist created the rabbit and fox and attached them to the log.

But the fox disappeared recently. Vandals ripped it off the sculpture, leaving behind the jagged base of the fox and a large, bent steel bolt that had secured it to the log base.

“It breaks our hearts to see it,” said Wendy Pearce Nelson of Blue Fox Photography. “The bench represented hope for the future. We are shocked and astounded that someone would so brazenly attack this innocent and delightful testament.”

She and freelance writer Liz Cobb had donated the sculpture to the park as a gift to the community.

The Waldo Canyon fire erupted June 23, 2012, just west of Colorado Springs. It burned ominously on the outskirts of the city, just over the ridge, for four days before high winds blew it into a tornado of fire that collapsed into Queens Canyon and raced down into Mountain Shadows, forcing the frenzied evacuation of about 32,000 people living west of Interstate 25.

Nelson was so moved by the damage the fire caused that she was inspired to document the losses of the community. Immediately, she thought of using her photo skills to capture images of the victims. Then she recruited Cobb to write their stories.

The project evolved into the “Faces of the Fire” documentary project. It was displayed in the Gold Hill Mesa community center for a year and included photos of 35 families, their stories and an artifact salvaged from the fire.

Then the exhibit moved to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where it hung in Dwire Hall.

Now, it is on permanent exhibit at the El Paso County Citizens Service Center on Garden of the Gods Road.

As part of the project, Nelson and Cobb wanted to present Mountain Shadows with a gift using some of the funds raised to create the documentary to make the bench. It was a yearlong process from conception to completion.

“It ended up being a much bigger project than we anticipated,” Cobb said.

And now it seems their work isn’t done.

Kurt Schroeder of the city Parks Department said the damaged bench will need to be removed from the park until it is repaired or replaced.

“It’s terrible,” he said. “It’s a special park now, and that bench was one of the special things there. We’d like to keep it special.”

Already, Nelson and Cobb are thinking of replacing it with something even better.

“We’re looking at our options,” Nelson said. “We’re considering replacing it with a bronze sculpture.”

But that would mean raising more money through their affiliation with the Pikes Peak Community Foundation.

The original bench cost about $5,000. Nelson said a bronze would be about double the cost, although they might achieve some savings because the original molds are in storage and available for recasting.

“We have the ability to re-create the bench,” she said.

Matt Mayberry, director of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum and overseer of the city’s art collection, said a bronze would be more appropriate.

“Bronze is more of a traditional material for art,” he said. “We know how it lasts and how to care for it.”

Just when the scars from the fire seem to be healing, a fresh wound is created.

Maybe this one will be quickly bandaged. In bronze.

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