LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A volunteer firefighter says he’ll continue to work the huge Colo. wildfire that destroyed his home.
Firefighter Randy Starkey of the Rist Canyon Fire Department discovered that the trailer he called home for 32 years had burned to the ground as he fought to save neighbors’ houses, according to CBS4.
“When my fellow firefighter found my old dog Blondie’s name tag that was on her dog house I almost cried there,” he said.
Firefighter Starkey carried his dog and his son’s cat to safety before the fire reached his trailer but lost everything else he owned, he told CBS4.
Despite his loss, Firefighter Starkey plans to keep working on the fire.
“We’re actually providing structure protection for the homes that made it,” he said. “In that we’re having to work on a house, work on another house, work on another house.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen for sure,” he added. “Right now I’m just going to fight fire. I’m going to sort that out later.”
“Residents need to thank [Rist Canyon Fire Department],” said Bill Hahnenberg, manager of the Rocky Mountain Area Incident Manager Team. “They’ve been working very hard. Those are volunteers, and they’ve done a great job protecting structures and residences.”