Fire destroys Steamboat family’s home before Christmas

Credit: Shannon Lukens

Posted: Dec 23, 2019 / 09:13 PM MST

Updated: Dec 23, 2019 / 09:59 PM MST

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STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — A fire destroyed a Steamboat Springs family’s home just 10 days before Christmas.

The smoke was so intense, homeowner Brian O’Brien says he could barely see. Their blue home on Seventh and Pine in Old Town Steamboat Springs caught fire the morning of Dec. 15.

“We lost everything,” O’Brien said.

But the family could have lost so much more if it wasn’t for 9-year-old Bentley’s quick thinking.

“I figured it was fire, so I woke my dad up,” Bentley said.

“I took a little nap on the couch, and woke up and the whole kitchen was engulfed when Bentley was actually shaking me saying, ‘Dad, the house is on fire’,” O’Brien said.

The family lost most of its belongings in the fire.

“I never want to experience anything like this again,” O’Brien said.

The family is currently spending their Christmas holiday in a hotel downtown, but the community has stepped up, donating more than $15,000 to a GoFundMe to get them back on their feet.