BEULAH, Colo. (KOAA) — Beulah is open to the public again, with re-entry cards approved for some areas of town as phased re-entry begins following the Aspen Acres Fire.
I was among the first granted access to the town, alongside Evon Davis, who lost everything.
The morning began at the Disaster Assistance Center in Pueblo, where Evon Davis picked up her re-entry card before welcoming me into her car for the drive back to Beulah.
"We're making this drive back to people that are on the road back to your home, the first time in two weeks. What are you feeling right now?" I asked.
"Very nervous. I already know that the house is demolished because I received a picture. It's going to be different when it's a picture versus when it's a physical 3D reality," said Davis.
The first stop was the checkpoint, where we waited in line before heading in. Lush, green forest quickly gave way to burn scars and scorched structures.
"When I come back from this, there'll be some PTSD, no doubt, and there will be people who are there to support me," said Davis.
The walk up to Davis's property was solemn and quiet. Within a few minutes, we had arrived.
A sobering moment for Davis. The cabin had been in her family since 1962. Mangled structures, broken brick, and old keepsakes remained on the property.
"The bench press and all the pots and pans," said Davis.
"Have you ever seen anything quite like this?" I asked.
"Oh, I've never seen anything like this. Never in my life," said Davis.
Davis says she wishes she could go back to what the property once was.
"It was so lush. It was phenomenally lush and green and healthy," said Davis.
Davis says she’s going to document her rebuild on her YouTube channel, though she says she won’t physically rebuild the cabin.
Instead, she plans to alter the land so that it can be restored in a way that works with nature rather than against it. She plans to develop a practical, low-tech restoration strategy that uses natural materials already present on the land.
"I'm the kind of person that I want to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I'm not going to crumple into, you know, a mushy pile and melt," said Davis.
Davis says the entire community has work ahead of it.
"We've got so much work ahead of us, so much work, so much healing; we need resources," said Davis.
To help Davis and other victims of the fire, click here. Davis says you can also support her recovery journey through her YouTube channel.
Disclaimer: News5 does not control what money donated to GoFundMe goes towards.
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