Colorado man declines to evacuate during Alexander Mountain Fire: "I wanted to stay here and fight"
A man who lives in the Alexander Mountain Fire burn area is trying to protect his home and ignoring mandatory evacuation orders. He says his experience with an earlier wildfire is what prompted his decision.
On Monday, Andy Hitch left his Colorado home and headed to Loveland to buy some building supplies. His plans quickly changed as he drove on Highway 34 toward Alexander Mountain.
"It erupted. I turned around and came home to pack up," said Hitch, who has lived in the Alexander Mountain area in Larimer County since he was 8 or 9 years old.
The 54 year old packed up his wife, daughter and horses, dog and cat and sent them all to stay with friends in Estes Park after the Alexander Mountain Fire started. Hitch decided to ignore evacuation orders. He decided to stay and try to protect his home, which he bought in 2018, recalling the last time he evacuated in 2020 during the Cameron Peak Fire. He and his family couldn't get back to their home for two weeks, wondering the whole time if his dream home was still standing.
"It was just the hardest thing not knowing if it was still there. That was just hard and when this thing hit, I just decided, no way I'm leaving. I'm going to stay. I decided to stay up here to protect the property."
But when flames that Hitch estimated were 100 feet high started bearing down on his home this week, he had second thoughts.
"When that wall of flames came over the ridge I instantly regretted it. You see it with your own eyes and it's right there and it's 100 yards from you and you realize you can't fight that."
But Hitch and a handful of neighbors fought to save their homes, digging a hand line around his property, which he says helped stop the flames. As of Thursday, his home was still standing although he said a neighbor's home had burned down. He credited first responders and aerial water drops with helping save his and other nearby homes.
He said police and fire crews have repeatedly ordered him to leave, but he declined.
"I kind of gave them all the same response -- I'm just not gonna leave, going to stay here and try to fight. I have an exit plan. I grew up here. I know how to get away from this. I felt like I could get out safely so wanted to stay here and fight," he said.
Hitch owns an ATV rental business in Estes Park, Backbone Adventures, which he said is on hold as he deals with hotspots around his neighborhood.
With his home secured, Hitch told CBS News Colorado he and a few friends have been checking on neighbor's homes, taking care of dogs and horses and even a pig named Wilbur, collecting passports and wedding rings and other valuables left behind.
"Forget about all the problems in the world," said Hitch. "We've got to help out if we can help out. It's the most important thing. There's nothing more important than family and friends."
He said he believed more resources are needed in the Mountain West to fight wildfires.
"All these places need more resources," he said.
"Helicopters, planes. It's only gong to increase as the climate changes."
Communication with Hitch has been spotty. But early Thursday morning, Hitch texted a CBS News Colorado reporter: "It was a long hard night. Another leg of the fire is heading straight for us and it's a big one. I have much work to do."
On Wednesday Gov. Jared Polis was asked about people who are choosing not to evacuate from their homes and he said "I would really strongly encourage them to take a very serious look at protecting their lives, in some cases their pets lives, their family's lives and at the right decision. We never make these evacuation orders lightly." See his complete response in the video below:
