Artist says paintings, studio burned in Alexander Mountain Fire in northern Colorado, "They're just gone"
More than 24 structures, including homes, have been burned by the Alexander Mountain Fire in northern Colorado. The destroyed structures identified by fire investigators were found in the Storm Mountain area, a community which Linda Renaud calls home.
Renaud, a local artist, told CBS News Colorado's Dillon Thomas her property was damaged by the fire. She was able to confirm that through neighbors in the area who avoided mandatory evacuations.
"I'm waking up every hour checking my email. You're not sleeping well," Renaud said. "You're just so darn jumpy any time you see fire."
Renaud said one of her neighbors recently texted her a photo of the flames from the fire approaching her property line.
"There was this column of smoke, and it was like, 'Not again. No, don't do this,'" Renaud said. "It was just flames. There was a single torched tree."
Renaud said she was having flashbacks to when the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire, the largest fire in Colorado history, burned nearby.
She said she was happy she evacuated this time for her own safety. But she couldn't help but to wonder what had happened to her home.
"That's what is so hard. You want to know. Not knowing is what is so difficult," Renaud said. "There are a few crazy souls who stayed up there."
Her neighbor recently contacted her to let her know the fire did cause damage to her property.
"He said, 'Your garage is gone; that building is completely gone, but your house is still standing,'" Renaud said.
As a professional artist, Renaud relied on her studio in her garage and her craft for an income. Now, some valuable art is gone forever.
"Some of the paintings are gone. They're just gone," Renaud said.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office confirmed the information CBS Colorado first reported, saying homes and other outbuildings had been lost in Renaud's neighborhood.
Renaud said she is grateful that, as of last notice, her home is still intact. She said she felt deeply for those of her neighbors who lost their homes.
Renaud also thanked firefighters for their hard work to protect properties.
