BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Brian Cornwell was in the process of building a desk at his Boulder County home when he looked up and saw it — a wildfire.
More than a week has passed since the 1,557-acre Stone Canyon Fire, reported on July 30 west of Rabbit Mountain and fully contained as of Sunday evening, destroyed five homes and left one person dead near the Boulder County town of Lyons.
"I was so focused on the Alexander (Mountain) Fire," Cornwell recalled, noting the Larimer County blaze. "And then from the corner of my eye — all fire just down the road."
The person who died in the fires lives just a few doors down from him, he said.
"It's terrible. It's the thing you would expect the least," he said. "Because you hear 'wildfires' — you know, homes go and people lose things. But never human life, which is extremely precious. So it's just kind of shocking."
With the Alexander Mountain Fire burning just north, he did not expect another one to ignite so close to home, he said. But this new one was forcing evacuations.
He recalled that evacuating the area felt "extremely chaotic" because he could not take the main road to safety.
"We had to go through the emergency egress road and trying to navigate that — there's no road signs," he explained. "And then you're wondering, you know, how close is the fire? Is all the stuff outside going to burn? Are the animals gonna be OK?" he said.
He was lucky — Boulder County Mounted Search & Rescue and Longmont Humane Society helped rescue all of his more than two dozen animals.
"We accounted for every single animal," Cornwell said.
The Stone Canyon Fire did reach his backyard, burning a shed and impacting his wife's garden and the shelters they had built for all of their animals.
He said the quick action from firefighters save his home.
"Without the fire retardant, I think it would have totally gotten the house," Cornwell said. "It's such a huge relief."
The clean-up process is just getting started. They have to hire contractors to get the retardant off the home and mitigate other impacts caused by smoke and fire.
The family has set up temporarily fencing for their animals but they are hoping to rebuild their shelters as soon as possible.
Denver7 has set up a Denver7 Gives to help people impacted by the recent wildfires. This fund will help support the immediate recovery and long-term rebuilding for those impacted. Every dollar supports the victims.
To donate, select "Help Victims of Colorado Wildfires" from the dropdown menu below.