WESTCLIFFE, Colo. (KOAA) — The Buttermilk Fire in Custer County was mostly contained as of Thursday afternoon, bringing a collective sigh of relief to people in the area.
- Watch: Buttermilk Fire in Custer County at 65 acres, 95% contained
However, a fire this early and this close to homes serves as a reminder of the reality this season could bring. Police and fire officials, along with residents in the area, stressed the importance of having a plan, as people sometimes only have minutes to get to safety.
"It's always real, always in the back of our minds," a resident said.
"Fire season starts earlier every year. We usually still have snow cover right now," another resident said.
Katarina Sky's home was just feet away from the fire while she was out fighting a fire in another state.
"I'm a wildland firefighter. We run a firefighting company," Sky said.
"No… of course it's Murphy's law that we were fighting a fire someplace else. It was scary because we have our equipment and animals here," Sky said.
Even for someone as experienced as Sky, the evacuation was sudden.
"We had 5 minutes to get out. Our neighbors actually left and had a tea kettle running, so the fire department had to come back," Sky said.
"Most people know this should be snow covered up there," Sky said.
Around town, it is a similar story. Kit Shy is the former fire chief of Westcliffe.
"I've been here 56 years," Shy said.
"With how dry it's been this year, it's not going to take much. All it takes is a broken glass bottle on the ground, and it becomes a magnifying glass," Shy said.
Shy and Mark Dembosky, another longtime resident, both remember back many years when the ground was white from the peaks to the valley.
"We used to get a pretty good snow before Christmas," Dembosky said.
"We could count on the kids trick or treating in the snow," Shy said.
The dryness has even newcomers like Paula Roland getting her home fire ready.
"We've had all our trees trimmed 6 feet from the ground up so the fire doesn't come up the tree," Roland said.
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