Spring Fire dampens holiday spirit for Fourth of July

Instead of cookouts and fireworks, many people spent the Independence Day holiday watching the Spring Fire continue to burn.

Among them was Kathryn Cordova-Garbers, who lives several miles to the northeast, the same direction in which the fire is moving.

“I was surprised when I got the pre-evacuation order Tuesday,” she said. “I’ve been watching the fire but never thought it would get this close.”

Cordova-Garbers said if a mandatory evacuation order is given, she’ll be ready.

“My important papers are in a safe deposit box,” she said. “I’ve been mitigating my property and keeping the grass cut low. My horse is in Pueblo and I’m making sure my chickens are OK. Everything else of value, such as my (late) mother’s art collection, will go in my metal barn.”

Cordova-Garbers said her neighborhood has no trees and ony short grasses that could burn.

Meanwhile, Connie and William Bartley have been in at the Red Cross evacuation shelter in La Veta for five days. Both use wheelchairs.

“If we lose our home, I’m moving back to West Virginia,” she said.

It’s an Independence Day that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.