Colorado father shares memories of family he lost in Westminster house fire, reacts to report on 911 coverage gaps

A man in Westminster spoke to CBS Colorado this month about the deaths of his husband and son. They died when they couldn't escape a fire that started in their family home.

Travis Whitson also responded to a CBS Colorado investigation that uncovered the gaps in 911 coverage for the area where his family lived.

"Everyone got out of work on time and ate pizza together," Travis Whitson told CBS Colorado.

Whitson described a simple night following a busy day, the kind families have all the time, never realizing how precious those moments are, until they're gone.

"It was a good day -- a really good day," he said, reflecting.

It is also the last memory Whitson has with his family.

"It's still crazy," he explained. "We really had everything we wanted."

On Jan. 13, just after midnight, Whitson woke up to the barking of the family dog Charlie. A fire had started on the back patio.

Jeff Whitson, Travis' husband, tried to get Elijah, their 9-year-old son, out of the house. Travis Whitson grabbed a fire extinguisher and tried to keep the flames from spreading to the deck.

Jeff decided the front door was unsafe and attempted to escape with Elijah through the boy's bedroom window, next to the carport -- a route the family had often discussed as an emergency exit. Jeff broke the window open, but the sudden rush of air pulled heat and flames upstairs from the already-melting sliding glass doors.

Jeff and Elijah never made it out of their home.

Inside the house, Whitson remembers a home built around togetherness. Jeff loved to cook, gathering family and friends around the long breakfast bar. The den was Elijah's world, filled with toys and family movie nights.

"This was a good space," Whitson said. "It was a good house," walking through the charred rubble left behind.

Whitson says Jeff was a lifelong public servant. He worked as a social worker, served as a court clerk and spent time as a middle school teacher.

"You always knew if my husband was in the room," Whitson said. "He had a lot of light, a lot of charisma."

Whitson described Elijah as a serious child just beginning to discover his passions.

"He loved karate," Whitson said. "He was dedicated for his age. He earned his brown belt. He loved Cub Scouts and soccer."

CBS Colorado had already begun to uncover a gap in the 911 dispatch system covering the area before speaking to Whitson. And, when he learned about that, he wanted to share his family's story.

"Just hearing there was a closer fire station, with Arvada, but they didn't get the word because the systems don't always talk to each other," Whitson said about the report.

CBS Colorado learned that, despite the proximity, Westminster dispatchers could not see Arvada units in their computer-aided dispatch system. Fire chiefs from both departments say connecting those systems could save time.

While Whitson agrees the issue deserves closer examination, he does not believe it would have changed the outcome for his husband and son.

"The firefighters were great," Whitson said. "There's nothing they could have done."

Months later, Whitson continues to navigate grief and a rebuilding process with no roadmap.

"You see on TV when someone's spouse died of a heart attack or a car accident, and then they have that moment where they've got to get rid of the clothes and the shoes and let it go. And, you know, I don't even have a shirt that smells like them. I don't have anything like that," he  said.

What he does have are memories -- and the knowledge that many others share them.

Travis Whitson is planning a public celebration of life for Jeff Whitson and Elijah Whitson on May 8 at Arvada United Methodist Church, 6750 Carr Street. The reception is at 1 p.m. and service at 2 p.m.

There is also an online fundraiser setup to help support Whitson with unexpected expenses.