Halloween a welcome sight to Teller County in Highland Lakes fire aftermath

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) - After the Teller County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) lifted its fire evacuation order Wednesday afternoon, residents could finally shift their focus to the Halloween holiday.

"The first thing my son asked yesterday morning was, 'Are we still going to get to have Halloween?'" said Cory Gorton, who lives in Highland Lakes and is the Vice President of the Community Partnership Family Resource Center.

With the fire mostly contained and just the one house burned that started the fire, Community Partnership and Woodland Park are moving forward with their annual Halloween Walk at the Gold Hill Shopping Center Thursday night without any alterations.

"We put our fires out, and we carry on, and we are really excited to be silly and have some fun tonight with our kids," Community Partnership CEO Jodi Mijares said.

The excitement for Gorton and her family was matched by an overwhelming sense of relief, as she said her home was, "just over the hill," from where the fire started.

"It is my childhood home that we live in, and so, it was very scary," Gorton said through tears. "I'm just really grateful that we're back and, we're safe, and we can have fun."

Community Partnership said about 25 businesses will participate in the Halloween walk from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Families can walk from business to business and pick up candy, trick-or-treat style. Community Partnership will host games, a costume contest, warm hot chocolate and apple cider, and more at its building in the shopping center for attendees to enjoy and warm up.