The fire engine that saved their homes still smelt like the Marshall fire to members of the Rock Creek neighborhood in Superior.
Families who live on Lasalle Street, Keota Lane and Pitkin Avenue still have their homes thanks to some Longmont firefighters — and on Sunday they showed their gratitude at the fire station.
Todd Landin is a former Longmont firefighter whose home was saved by his one-time coworkers. He and his wife, Carrie Landin, found this out after the fire, but helped to organize a neighborhood fundraiser to say thank you with drinks and lasagna for the fire department.
On Sunday, about 30 neighbors turned out with a giant thank you card and carfulls of gifts. They met with the firefighters who saved their street and applauded their work.
“I know you guys basically incurred a career’s worth of smoke in one night for us, and it does not go unnoticed,” Todd Landin said. “We just can’t believe that all of us came home to our own homes standing.”
The firefighters let the neighbors check out their trucks and engines, including the one that fought the Marshall fire on their streets. Damage was still visible on the engine’s door where the wind from that night ripped it open.
The Longmont firefighters recalled the unprecedented fire event, having to drive past burning homes and buildings they could not save as the 100 mph winds nearly knocked them over. The first street they responded to was Eldorado, which was quickly engulfed in flames the firefighters could not stop.
The neighbors pointed out that, though those homes couldn’t be saved, just a couple blocks away their homes were okay thanks to the Longmont firefighters. Living so close to the fire’s destruction, these Rock Creek neighbors are reminded every day of how lucky they were.
“All of us have standing homes because of them,” Carrie Landin said.
Patrick Kramer, Longmont fire department engineer and public information officer, found the outpouring of gratitude surprising and touching on Sunday. With more than 1,000 homes lost in the Marshall fire, he said it’s sometimes hard to remember all the homes still standing.
“We try to be humble about it because it’s kind of hard to get thanks for just doing your job, you know?” he said. “We did save some houses, but we also lost a lot. We sometimes focus on the failures instead of the successes, but to have some people come in and (even with) just a thank you card is awesome. It’s not what we expected, but it sure is nice.”
