Red Cross distributes wildfire cleanup kits. Photo courtesy of Dana Goldsmith
July 8, 2018. Story by Arden Anderson
Red Cross volunteers were on hand today to assist residents of the Forbes Park area who had been evacuated from their homes for 10 days due to threats from the Spring Fire west of Fort Garland. For the first time since their evacuation residents were allowed a quick visit to their properties to see the damage left behind by the third largest fire in the history of Colorado. Red Cross was there handing out cleaning supplies and safety equipment to help residents start to get their lives back in order.
The damage was heartbreaking for many whose homes were completely destroyed as the fire tore through the wooded development. In all, 132 homes were destroyed in this area alone. Others were relieved to find their homes had been spared as the fire raced by seeking another target. Even for those whose homes survived there was serious cleanup necessary. To facilitate cleanup Red Cross was distributing cleaning supplies including buckets, trash bags, mops, brooms, bleach, shovels, and more.
Karen and Ken Pesek were typical of those who were surveying the damage. After a week of uncertainty they discovered that they were among the lucky ones whose home had been spared. They picked up cleaning supplies from the Red Cross and started the process of putting things back together. The whole house smelled of smoke but they felt very lucky. To show how capricious the fire was there were 2 piles of firewood in their yard. One was burned to ashes and the other was left intact.
Lunch is served at the Fort Garland shelter. Photo courtesy of Arden Anderson
While chatting over lunch after the cleanup they remarked “You Red Cross folks have been great. You fed us, took care of us. The Red Cross deserves as much credit as the firefighters for what you did to help us and make us feel at home during this evacuation.”
The firefighting effort continues and recent rain on part of the area has helped increase containment. For safety reasons evacuees will not be allowed to return to their residences for at least another week so the Red Cross will continue to provide shelter, meals and support as these people work to rebuild their lives.