COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Last week the Colorado Springs Fire Department released video shot by a firefighter from inside the Waldo Canyon Fire as it tore through the Mountain Shadows Neighborhood.

Steve Schoepper, who shot the video, is a 36-year veteran of the fire service. Along with working as a firefighter, he also serves as the audio and visual technician for the CSFD.

Schoepper said on the night of June 26 his job was to videotape the fire from inside the Mountain Shadows Neighborhood.

"You could see that mountain billowing up just like a volcano, and I thought 'Oh man, this is going to be a bad day,'" Schoepper said.

Little did he, or anyone else know, just how bad things were about to get.

"I think I uttered something I always say when something bad is about to go down, 'Forward into the breech,' and that is what we did," Schoepper said.

Schoepper and his partner headed into the cloud of smoke.

The two first stopped on Centennial Boulevard, near Flying W Ranch Road.

"At this point I am scared and nervous, I did not know what we were going to see," he said.

What happened next Schoepper said is hard to explain, as he entered the firestorm.

"I was really really blown away by the fact that there was probably 15 homes fully involved on Courtney Drive," Schoepper said. "We were about 200 yards away from it, and I could still feel tremendous heat, and the explosions and the noise."

He said the emotions at that moment were overwhelming.

"You know I was praying, I was so sad for those who were losing their homes, I wanted it to stop," Schoepper said. "I thought we need to find out where this is going to stop, so we kept moving."

As he drove, Schoepper said he saw hundreds of firefighters giving their all to save what they could.

"It was determination, every one of them, I never saw fear in their eyes," he said.

Now looking back two weeks later, Schoepper said he is more proud than ever to be with the fire service.