Parks and Wildlife officers save lives and property in Chaffee County

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Officers were conducting maintenance when they looked up and saw fire erupt on a ridgeline. The officers immediately jumped into action.

CPW says that while the Chaffee County Fire Protection District was already on scene, the Mountain View fire north of Buena Vista had just made itself known to CPW on July 14 while conducting property maintenance.

“I called Sergeant William Plackner with the Chaffee County Sheriff’s office and let him know our team was in place and ready to assist,” said CPW District Wildlife Manager Kevin Madler.

Madler says he and his team alerted campers at the recreation and camping sites along the reservoir and residents in a subdivision near his team’s location.

At the same time, CPW says Park Rangers began alerting visitors and campers at recreation and camping sites along the Arkansas River of the impending evacuation.

And then came a call from the sheriff's office, says Madler. The team was asked to coordinate access for a helicopter to draw water from the Clear Creek Reservoir.

Due to water rights and access, Madler said he called the one person he knew could help.

“I had a feeling that call was coming,” said David Curtis, Pueblo Water Mountain Operations Specialist. “It was immediate ‘yes’.” Curtis lives on-site at the reservoir in company housing. He knew the fire was close, and longstanding procedures authorized his approval in a crisis. 

“As a Coloradoan, as a hunter, and as an angler, I know how important it is to have CPW boots on the ground," said Curtis. “We work with CPW daily to ensure recreational access to the campground and the reservoir.”

Helicopters began drawing water from Clear Creek within minutes, says CPW.

According to CPW, the Mountain View fire was contained the next day at 60 acres, leading to the destruction of two homes.

CPW says the two phone calls between three neighbors had a huge impact.

“The winds during this fire were extremely erratic, and we experienced several wind shifts while attempting to complete a direct attack on the fire. The complication of two structure fires made the aerial assets pivotal,” said Kira Jones, fire chief, Chaffee County Fire Protection District. “Having a water resource so close cut the turn around time between aerial drops. The local boots on the ground know each other, interact with each other outside of official job titles, and understand that when an ask occurs, the need is great.”

Madler's home was in the pre-evacuation area, but he remained on his post until 7 p.m. until relieved, says CPW.

“I’m incredibly proud of this team,” said Sean Shepherd, CPW Area Wildlife Manager and team supervisor. “What I'm most proud of is that they never once called me and asked, ‘What should we do?’ The call I got was, ‘This is what we're doing’”.

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