DENVER — As the anniversary of the Marshall Fire approaches, a Superior family finally gets the opportunity to thank the first responder who saved their lives that day.
Boulder County Deputy Jeff Caton was sent to the Sagamore neighborhood on Dec. 30, 2021, where several homes were on fire. He was evacuating hundreds of people when one particular family caught his attention.
“All of a sudden my backdoor flew open ... then a family, dad, two kids, two dogs,” Caton said.
The Glover family were minutes away from getting trapped in the fast-moving Marshall Fire. Mom, Melanie Glover, was stuck in traffic, trying to get back home.
“It was crazy. I had the Bluetooth speaker on and all I could hear was screaming and shouting on the phone,” Glover said. “There was nothing I could do. And I've never felt so frustrated and helpless in my life.”
But Deputy Caton was in the right place at the right time.
“They're like, 'We have no way to get out!' I’m like 'Hop in!' I evacuated them up to a safer spot,” Caton explained.
After nearly two years, the family reunited with Caton on Tuesday to say “thank you.”
“If it wasn't for this man, I would be standing here by myself. I have no doubt that I would be standing here by myself,” Grove said.
The Marshall Fire damaged or destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses in Superior, Louisville and Boulder County amid hurricane-force winds and extreme drought conditions.
It began as two separate fires, the first of which was likely sparked by a resident's buried fire from about a week prior and the second which likely began as a result of a disconnected Xcel Energy power line, the Boulder County sheriff announced in June.
