YUMA, Colo. — All of the fires that burned in Yuma County late Wednesday and much of Thursday have been contained – due in part to the farmers and neighbors who jumped in to help firefighters slow the blaze.
Colette Bordelon spoke with some of the farmers looking out for their neighbors in what they call a "tight-knit community."
Joshua Baumgardner was stunned by the smoke that swept over his home Wednesday night.
"It was the most intense wind we've had out here in, definitely, lots of years, and that fire was just whipping so quick," he said.
He said he instantly did what he could to help.
“The least I could do is just – if that fire is coming in that direction, I could go and warn them," he said. "So it was really [...] nice to be able to do something.”
- Hear from other community members who jumped in to help in the video player below:
Three large fires sparked Wednesday night, with the cause still under investigation but believed to be downed power lines. All were contained by Thursday night after burning just over 14,000 acres.
No serious injuries were reported and authorities believe no homes were lost.
Tyson Brown, a fourth-generation farmer who was born and raised in Yuma, said he likely lost hundreds of acres on the east side of his ranch.
"So we actually fared really well compared to some of our neighbors,” he said.
Brown told us he helped fight the fire from his tractor.
“What we were trying to do is just make a break in the soil so that, that way the fire doesn't have as much available fuel," he said.
Farmers and ranchers are used to helping out volunteer firefighters by providing water and their equipment. It's all part of a collaborative effort to contain a fire.
“Since my wife and I moved back in 2010 I think that we've had to do this at least eight times, maybe 10," Brown said. "Yeah, it's a lot.”
Brown said the fire activity has become much more frequent over the course of his family's time here in Yuma – but he's grateful this week's fires weren't any worse.
"Tired. I think everybody is tired," he said when we asked him how he was feeling Thursday afternoon. "To my knowledge, nobody was killed, nobody was hurt, nobody lost a home. So we'll get through this. We always we always do. We always have so.”
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