Horse Owners Take No Chances Near Grass Fire, Evacuation 'Went Very Smoothly'
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - More than 100 horses were evacuated from an equestrian center Wednesday afternoon due to a grass fire burning nearby in Jefferson County.
Authorities issued a Level 1 pre-evacuation notice to thousands of homes in the Ken Caryl Valley warning residents to be ready to leave if necessary. Yet staff and owners of horses at the Ken Caryl Equestrian Center did not want to take the chance and have to haul the animals away in a panic.
"If you leave in a panic with a lot of horses, and there are a lot of horses here," owner Ann Smith told CBS4. "You're going to have some accidents."
Management called volunteers with trailers, owners and few contractors to help load up and take the horses to other stables. Dave Santistevan, who keeps his horse T.J. at the center, said he made a few trips.
"Of course you get nervous for the animals. The horses definitely get nervous," he said. "The smoke, all the sounds and the helicopter will make them nervous."
Road closures and traffic backups made it difficult for some owners to get to the center quickly.
"My husband came from 285 across Bowles and he had to wait quite a bit. I'd say 30 to 45 minutes," Smith said.
Despite a few nervous horses, the precautionary evacuation took a little less than two hours.
"It went very smoothly, I thought," Santistevan said.
About 120 horses were spending the night at stables in the area. Owners of about 25 horses chose to leave their animals at the center after learning the grass fire was under control.
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Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team in 2012 as the morning reporter, covering national stories like the Aurora Theater Shooting and devastating Colorado wildfires. She now reports for CBS4 News at 10 and is always open to story ideas. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @KellyCBS4.