CALHAN, Colorado – A raging midnight fire turned a quiet Eastern Plains night into pure hell, swallowing an entire dog kennel in flames that shot two stories high. Yet in the middle of tragedy, one dog lost, another fighting for life, something beautiful happened: four small-town volunteer fire departments and a quick-thinking employee became the difference between total disaster and a story of survival.
The blaze broke out just after midnight on January 29 at Hideaway Kennels, home to Rocky Mountain Roosters, a respected private pheasant hunting preserve that has operated since 1985. Owner Brett Axton says the kennel was gone before he even reached the ranch.
“It Was Like Daytime Outside”
A guide sleeping in a trailer only yards away woke to the smell of smoke. When he pulled back the blinds, he faced a wall of fire.
“He opened the shades and it was like daytime,” Axton told reporters, voice still shaking a day later. “Flames were already two stories high and fully engulfed.”
That guide didn’t hesitate. He sprinted to the kennel, threw open every gate, and freed 30 hunting dogs into the freezing night. Thirty dogs owe their lives to those few seconds of courage.
One dog didn’t make it. Another, a young pointer named Ranger, suffered severe burns across his face and smoke inhalation so bad he’s still on oxygen at an emergency vet in Colorado Springs.
Four Volunteer Departments, Twelve Trucks, Zero Hesitation
Word reached 911 at 12:17 a.m. Within minutes, sirens screamed across the prairie.
Calhan, Peyton, Elbert, and Simla volunteer fire departments rolled in with 12 trucks total. These are men and women who leave their own beds, their own families, to run toward fire for no pay.
“They saved the rest of the ranch,” Axton said. “Without them we would have lost everything. Those guys are heroes that don’t wear capes.”
Manager Ben Garcia watched the attack unfold in awe.
“It was violent, hot, and fast,” Garcia said. “But every firefighter knew exactly what to do. Nobody stood around. It was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.”
Community Turns Grief Into Gratitude
By sunrise, messages poured in: How can we help rebuild the kennel?
Axton and Garcia made a decision that has stunned even hardened locals.
“We don’t want a dime for us,” Axton said. “Every penny is going straight to those four volunteer departments.”
They launched a GoFundMe titled “Support Our Volunteer Firefighters Who Saved 30 Dogs.” In less than 24 hours, strangers from coast to coast pushed the total past $18,000 and climbing fast.
Donations carry notes that will make you cry:
- “From a retired FDNY captain, thank you for running in when others run out.”
- “My GSP says thank you for saving his cousins.”
- “Small-town volunteers are the real backbone of America.”
Ranger Still Fighting, Rebuild Already Planned
Ranger remains in critical condition, but vets say his spirit is strong. Updates posted daily on the Rocky Mountain Roosters Facebook page show the young dog wagging his tail between treatments.
Axton promises the kennel will rise again, better and safer.
“We had a plan and it worked,” he said. “But this fire reminded every rural property owner out here: have a plan, because when seconds count, volunteers are still minutes away.”
In a world that feels divided too often, a Colorado prairie fire gave us something pure: proof that ordinary people will still drop everything to save a stranger’s dogs, and strangers across the country will open their wallets to say thank you.
Ranger is still fighting. Thirty dogs are home with their handlers tonight. And four volunteer fire departments just got reminded, in the most powerful way possible, that their communities have their backs.
If this story moved you, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Share it far and wide with #ColoradoFireHeroes, because these volunteers deserve every single shout-out they get.
