THORNTON, Colo. — Employees of Harmony Domes waited anxiously Wednesday to return to their Thornton manufacturing business after firefighters evacuated the area because of a fast-burning grass fire.
"The anxiety definitely is high," said Michael Eveland, who works at the company that manufactures glamping domes, tiny homes and villas.
The grass fire, captured on Colorado Department of Transportation cameras, sparked around noon.
Smoke from the blaze shut down Interstate 25 and led to the evacuation of businesses, homes and nearby Pinnacle Charter High School.
One Thornton resident told Denver7 he rushed door to door helping firefighters get neighbors to safety.
"I was just like, man, what do I do? How do I help somebody?" said neighbor Christian Rubi.
Agencies from across the area quickly gained control of the fire but warned the community the threat is not over yet.
The fire, aided by strong winds and burning amid red flag conditions, grew to approximately 10 acres in size before it was contained near a fence line on Elati Street close to residential property that the fire never touched, according to Thornton Fire Chief Steve Kelley, who provided an update to news media during a news conference later Wednesday.
"We lost no residential structures as a result of this fire," he said. "We did have damage to some businesses along the south side of the fire" that fire officials are continuing to evaluate, he added. "At this time, it does not appear that there was any damage to the structures."
In all, Kelley said four firefighters and one resident were injured as a result of the grass fire. None were considered critical injuries, the fire chief said.
As soon as Harmony Domes employees got the all clear, Denver7 walked alongside them back to their business.
Smoke had filled their main building, and what used to be a model glamping dome in the business' backyard is now just a shell. The dome's furniture was charred.
Pictures, provided to Denver7 by Harmony Domes owner Vas Kostiuk, show what the $70,000 model used to look like before the fire.
Harmony Domes is now left to pick up the pieces. The glamping manufacturer is in communication with their insurance company and will start the rebuild process.
"You come to work in the morning and never know what's going to happen," said Kostiuk.
As the business starts to clean up and crews investigate a cause, the community knows the fire risk is not over yet.
"It's always a worry, especially with these red flag days," Eveland said. "People just need to be... we don't know how this started, but people just need to be more careful."
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