Local Restaurant Helps Branch Inn Responders

By Sean Hausers.hauser@krdo.comPUEBLO – Help has poured in from the entire Pueblo community after Thursday’s fatal explosion. One downtown Pueblo restaurant has literally opened its doors day and night for responders.

“Everything was rattling…it was like a heavy gray snowstorm out there,” said Ruth McDonald as she recalled the moments after the explosion.

Ruth is the co-owner of the Gold Dust Saloon, located just a few blocks from where the Branch Inn once stood.

“I don’t ever want to see it again. I saw things down there that I just can’t get out of my mind since that time,” explained Ruth.

Ruth says she will never forget November 13th mainly because of the response by fire fighters and police officers.

“The firefighters, the rescuers, the policemen, they came and they went into that…they take that risk to try and help us all out,” said McDonald.

It’s because of what she saw that day, that made her want to open up her restaurant to the responders that helped.

“We’ve offered them the Gold Dust as a place to come and warm up, use the restroom facilities, we’ve brought them there meals yesterday and we’ve tries to set up a relief center here where we have candy and fruit and hot coffee for them all the time,” she said.

Ruth admits, since seeing the responders act after the blast, she has a whole-new appreciation for them.

“You don’t realize the extent of their work until you see them first hand, how dangerous the things are that they do and that’s why we did it, we appreciate these guys,” she said. “It could have been so much worse if we didn’t have these guys. Who would have known how many of these buildings could have burned down if the fire wasn’t controlled or how many people would have been injured if they hadn’t come in and taken charge of things,” she explained about the responders.

The Gold Dust Saloon isn’t the only restaurant that has helped with the efforts. Several others around town have come forward to donate food and drinks to responders.

Fire Chief, Chris Riley says the donations have been much appreciated.

“We couldn’t have done all of this without them,” he said.