August 1st 2024.
As the Front Range was engulfed in raging wildfires on Wednesday, the residents were faced with a difficult decision - to evacuate or to stay put. Some heeded the early morning calls to leave, while others chose to stay on their land that demanded extra self-sufficiency.
At the evacuation site for the Quarry fire, which was burning near Deer Creek Canyon in Jefferson County, the air was thick with smoke, making it difficult to breathe. John Banks, a resident of the threatened neighborhood, was coughing in the parking lot of Dakota Ridge High School, where the evacuation center was set up. He and his wife, Diane, had received a phone call at 1:30 am ordering them to evacuate. With their rescue cat, Mea, they left their home with only a few essential items - medications, clothes, oxygen tanks, and cancer medications. They left behind everything else, including the home they had lived in for 34 years. When asked about the things they left behind, John said, "These are just things. If you lose them, you still have your friends and family." He paused, his voice filled with emotion, and added, "If you lose things, you still have your friends, your family."
After spending the night in their car, the couple found a hotel to stay in for the next night and planned to attend pre-scheduled doctor appointments on Wednesday. Despite the challenges they faced, they remained optimistic and determined to keep going. "Life throws spitballs at you," John said, "but you keep going."
By 3 am, the Banks were among the first to arrive at the evacuation center, and as the morning progressed, more and more people joined them. By 9 am, there were dozens of cars parked at the school, belonging to the nearly 600 households that had been ordered to evacuate. Some evacuees took a moment to walk their dogs, while nearby, a Denver Fire Department crew prepared to respond to the fire.
85-year-old Elden Coombs, who has lived in the Homewood Park neighborhood since 1969, was one of the many residents waiting in the parking lot for updates. He had experienced two other fires, a blizzard, and two floods in his time there. Elden had received the evacuation call at 2 am and left his home with some clothes, important documents, and his medication. "I haven't been to bed," he said. "I just hope they get the fire under control."
Meanwhile, at the frontlines of the Stone Canyon fire, north of Lyons, Boulder County Sheriff's Sergeant Cody Sears was patrolling the area that had not yet been engulfed by flames. He observed the fire spreading and flaring up in some areas and hoped that the winds would not make the situation worse. As he was making his rounds, he spotted two horses through the smoke on Dakota Ridge Road and immediately radioed the county animal control for help, concerned about their safety. Despite the danger, he and his fellow officers found that the residents in the area were well-prepared and in control of the situation.
One of the residents, 50-year-old Carmen Roberts, had decided to stay on her property with her family and horses, equipped with water tanks and heavy equipment to help them evacuate if necessary. "We've been here over 30 years," she said, "we've been through these things several times." She explained that they had everything packed and ready to go if needed, and had gotten some sleep during the night. Despite the repeated fire incidents in the area, she remained calm and said, "When it happens over and over again, the stress is less."
However, she acknowledged that the number of people moving into the area has made fire situations more perilous. "Fire is worse now because it affects more people," she said. "It is threatening more homes because there are more homes around."
At the top of Stone Canyon, business owner Matthew Lee had also spent the night on his property, which spanned 80 acres. He had grazed his cattle there before moving them away a few weeks ago, leaving the grass short enough to ease his worries. The fire was now burning within a quarter mile of his house, but he had chosen not to evacuate, like many other self-reliant residents in the foothills north of Lyons. He praised Colorado's aggressive approach to fire suppression, which helped douse the flames before they could cause more damage. "Yesterday, it was an air show," he said, referring to the slurry bombers that dropped fire retardant on the terrain. "That's good."
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