JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — When Quarry Fire evacuees left their homes nearly a week ago, they didn't know if their places would still be standing. One homeowner's doorbell camera offered them a unique perspective throughout the firefight.
Tom Stonebraker evacuated his home on Deer Creek Canyon Road on Wednesday when the Quarry Fire was just 200 yards away. He immediately knew the two cameras on his property — one at his front door and the other perched from an old firehouse about 40 feet away — would help keep those who had to get up and go, like himself, in touch with what was happening on the front lines.
The cameras caught trucks staging in Stonebraker's front yard and even the first rainfall near fire lines, which was a moment of relief for many.
The homeowner also used those cameras to communicate with first responders.
"Man I really, really appreciate what you guys are doing. Specifically, you're saving my house right now and a whole lot of others," said Tom Stonebraker to Grand County Fire Protection District's Mike Scott through his Ring camera.
Stonebraker shared his Ring camera videos on his social media for other neighbors to see.
"They were seeing that there was so much activity. I mean, the amount of activity that was going on around our houses would have been impossible to understand, I think, unless you had been in the firefighting services," explained Stonebraker.
But getting to share his gratitude meant the most to him.
"I wanted to thank them. I think with all the stuff that’s going on in the world, not all of it’s positive. A lot of it’s not. All of a sudden there’s all of these people out here helping," said Stonebraker.
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