LOUISVILLE, Colo. — Standing in what used to be his neighborhood of 23 years, Curtis Johnson is finding it hard to come up with words for what he’s seeing.
“It is just completely unrecognizable,” Johnson told 9NEWS. “The trees and all the homes are gone.”
It’s staggering how with everything burned to the ground, there is still so much to sort through and sort out.
No wonder Johnson is a little confused.
“The view is completely different than it was a week ago, three days ago, I don’t know, I don’t remember what day it is,” he said. “I think it’s Monday.”
We couldn't blame him, when a man is looking at his home of 23 years reduced to ash and piles of burned pieces that remind him of what they used to be.
“This was our house until we decided to retire or do something different,” he said.
This is where Johnson, his wife and so many others made a life.
“Everything on this cul de sac,” Johnson pointed at a burned-down neighborhood. “These guys just moved in earlier this year, a young couple, little kids, she’s pregnant.”
His voice breaks as he fights back tears.
Living here, Johnson was also close to work, which was helpful on Thursday.
“Our first priority is trying to get a handle on where the fire is and where it’s going, get people out of the way,” Johnson said.
Johnson is a Division Chief at the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
He was off the day the Marshall Fire erupted.
“I had taken the day off to hang out with my wife. It was her birthday,” he said. “We were going to spend the day with our kids. The fire interrupted that.”
There was no time to think about what would happen to his house.
“For a lot of people who get involved in working in public safety, things like this, work comes first,” he said.
And work on Thursday was challenging.
“Nothing was going to keep that fire from spreading,” Johnson said. “All we could do is hope that we were getting people out of the way fast enough.”
Johnson said he asked his wife to evacuate just in case. Not knowing his neighborhood was in direct danger, he was concerned about smoke.
“We got some pictures,” he said. “Can’t grab everything.”
“People who live in our mountain communities are always prepared for this. They have a list. They have a plan,” he said.
He knew this because he’s helped other communities with their disasters.
“I had no realistic grasp of what they were going through until Thursday,” he said.
He just didn’t think he’d experience the same living in this neighborhood.
“People will tell you, ‘you don’t know what it’s like to lose everything until you do,’” he said. “I get that now. I don’t have anything.”
At a time when everything looks and feels upside down, Johnson focuses on the basics, starting with finding a new place to live.
“Buy a bed, get a pair of shoes, some underwear,” he said.
Once all that’s sorted out, he’ll be ready to focus on others again.
“I know I need to get back to work because there is recovering to be done,” he said.
Johnson said he was hoping to get back to work at the sheriff’s office by the end of the week.
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