BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) – Courtney Walsh and her family lived in their dream home along Foothills Ranch Drive in Boulder County since 2016.
She lives in a neighborhood with six other homes nearby. After Saturday only four of them are still standing. The Walsh family home is not one of them.
“I did not expect it was going to be the last time I left my house,” said Walsh, describing the moment she got the evacuation notice on Saturday and had to choose what was important to take with her and what would stay.
“It’s all so unreal still, we haven’t even been back yet,” said Walsh.
Photos taken by CalWood firefighters show where their home once stood. It is now just a pile of ash and remnants of what were walls. It took just a matter of hours for fire to swallow the home.
“Thinking back, I have some regrets on things I didn’t take, like my aunt’s quilts and baby books,” said Walsh. “But at the same time, they are just keepsakes and not my family. I’m trying to keep that perspective.”
The Walsh family isn’t sure if they will rebuild but they do plan to return their home and sort through the rubble once it’s safe.
“We are going to be fine, but if people are wondering what they can do right now, it’s donating to the firefighters that are working to save more Colorado homes,” said Walsh. “If we band together as a Colorado community and can help provide more resources to them, that would be my wish as someone who just lost their home.”