LITTLETON, Colo. — A Littleton couple have been watching their son fly Colorado’s Firehawk helicopter to battle the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County.
“He has always wanted fly,” Lois Claggett said. “That has been his goal since he was a baby.”
Lois and Rick’s son has flown all over the world, they just never imagined the job would lead him to their backyard.
“Our son is the pilot of the Firehawk, and [we're] very proud of him,” Lois Claggett said.
“I went up to a couple people and I said, ‘I’m going to brag now, this is my son up there that's flying that helicopter,’” Rick Claggett said.
“You’re bursting with pride,” Lois said. “You just kind of want to beat your chest and say ‘that’s mine, that’s mine."
Thursday marks the third day Lois and Rick’s son is in the cockpit fighting the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County.
“It reminds you of like a straw when they go to get the water, and it just sucks up the water,” Lois said.
This week, Lois is worried about him. She just wants safety for all the first responders battling this brutal wildfire as she watches her son’s aspirations as a little boy turn into the reality helping save hundreds of homes from the flames.
“It makes you very proud, very proud,” Lois said. “It makes you feel like hey, I did my job as a parent well.”