A late night fire destroyed a dog kennel in rural El Paso County, killing one dog and leaving another in critical condition, but quick thinking by employees and volunteer firefighters saved 30 others and prevented the flames from spreading.
The fire broke out just after midnight on Jan. 29 at the Hideaway Kennels in Calhan, which trains bird dogs for Rocky Mountain Roosters, a private pheasant hunting preserve that has operated since 1985.
Owner Brett Axton said one of his guides, who was sleeping in a nearby trailer, woke up to the smell of smoke and saw the fire already out of control. “One of my guides, who was sleeping, woke up to smelling some smoke, and opened the shades on his trailer, and just it was like daytime and the fire was fully engulfed in the kennel and it was just two stories high of flames,” Axton said.
Axton said he received the call at his home, but by the time firefighters arrived, the kennel was already a total loss. “We had four volunteer fire departments. Peyton, Calhan, [Elbert] and Simla that brought 12 fire trucks here and it saved the rest of the ranch here,” Axton said. “Those guys are heroes. The heroes that don’t wear capes. Those guys are amazing.”
Axton said an employee was able to open dozens of kennel gates, allowing most of the dogs to escape. “[They] saved 30 dogs. We lost one, and another he’s in critical condition,” Axton said. “But without [their] fast thinking, if [they] hadn’t been there, hadn’t smelled the smoke, we would have lost all our dogs.”
KKCO-TV NBC 11 Grand Junction