“We will rebuild. It’s the community that we love.” Pueblo County fire chief loses home in Aspen Acres Fire
Michael Logerwell
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – When Red Creek Fire Chief Lu Toxvard and his wife, Tammy, also a Red Creek Firefighter, first heard about the Aspen Acres Fire, it didn’t have a name.
“At that time, you know, you think it’s like a regular fire, and you’re going to be able to get it out before it does too much damage,” Tammy Toxvard said.
But that’s not what happened.
“It went out of control. It really did very quickly,” She said.
Stay up to date on the Aspen Acres Fire
Before the first week was over, Chief Toxvard was going door to door telling his neighbors they needed to leave.
“I told her [a neighbor] that I really think you should go, and she goes, ‘Do you really think so?’ and I say, yeah, you need to get out of here. Let me do this work. I’ll save your home. I guarantee I’m gonna do everything I can to save your home,” Chief Toxvard said.
He did save her home, and plenty more, even though he couldn’t save his own. The Toxvard’s home burned down, along with a neighboring home.
Only two homes in their immediate neighborhood fell to the fire. They attribute the 90% success rate to the rigorous fire mitigation their whole neighborhood partakes in every year.
“It’s not ideal when, of course, you want to save everybody, everybody’s homes, and make sure they’re safe. but we we were able to keep the fire from getting everybody else,” Tammy Toxvard said.
Despite the destruction, the Toxvards say they aren’t going anywhere. This fire won’t drive them off.
“The house we can replace, and we will. We will rebuild,” Tammy said.
“It’s the community that we love. It’s, you know, we love and live there,” Lu said, finishing his wife’s sentence.