Cold Springs Fire Evacuee Has Close Call While Saving Beloved Horses
BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A Cold Springs Fire evacuee came face-to-face with the flames as she worked to save her horses.
CBS4's Karen Morfitt spoke with Pam Harrington, who ended up having to ride her horses through the fire. She said it was just the right thing to do, and if faced with the decision again, she'd do it all over.
Harrington has always had a special bond with her horses. Abbie belongs to her daughter and Sunny has been with her for 11 years.
"She's been my soul horse since the day I got her," Harrington said.
On Friday she was in the barn caring for them when the strong smell of smoke started to fill the air.
"I was like, 'Something is going on.'"
It was the beginning of what is now the Cold Springs Fire. The flames had quickly moved toward her property and her family.
"I immediately said, 'You know, we've got to get out of here.'"
PHOTO GALLERY: Cold Springs Fire
Harrington and her neighbor started loading up. Her daughter already safely headed out of the area and she turned her attention to the horses.
"We were going to hook up the trailer, and at that point we realized the pin was gone."
Harrington says even then, leaving them behind never crossed her mind.
"Sometimes the only way to get through is to go into it and just do it, and there was no other option."
She hopped on Sunny and had Abbie follow behind on a rope.
"As I was riding out the smoke kept getting more and more intense and thicker and thicker."
Harrington, who was trying to walk the horses out slowly, wasn't sure what to do at that point -- and that's when she said the fire turned.
"Right at that moment all the smoke lifted and everything got really clear and really orange at the same."
She knew then they would have to run.
"I turned a corner and all the sudden it was just fire everywhere -- all around -- just both sides of the road -- everything was on fire."
Harrington says the horses stayed calm and together they found their way out. Altogether the ride was short -- probably less than a mile, but it was a moment that will stay with her much longer.
Harrington said both horses were unharmed. She has since returned to the area and said she's lucky her home survived, but some of her neighbors lost everything.
LINKS: Boulder Office of Emergency Management Fire Updates | Cold Springs Fire Relief Fund
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