Dear Community,

Dear Community,

All of us at Elk Creek Fire send our sincerest wishes of peace and healing to the victims, families, and friends of those involved in yesterday’s accident on Hwy 285.

We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all persons who assisted on this accident yesterday. Those of you on scene gave us your hands and your help, and you gave our patients your heart. We spoke with many of you outside our fire station while you waited for hours, and you gave us your patience and your understanding. We have learned that businesses and employees in the area gave a place to be after hours, food, drink, and comfort. We are proud to serve in a mountain community that comes together like you do.

We also understand that some of you may have been deeply affected by what you saw or experienced on the scene of this accident. Some of you were intimately involved and selflessly did what we asked of you, even though it was difficult. Some people reading this may be friends or family of the victims. We don’t know who most of you are, but we are thinking of you. We have seen some of your comments on social media and we know your hearts are heavy. We also want you to know that we understand – first hand – the feelings that can arise after such an event. We encourage anyone who may be struggling with difficult emotions to reach out to a friend or a professional. We wanted to take this opportunity to share one of our local resources here, and we recommend keeping this information for ANY difficult moments in life. Colorado Crisis Services is an immediate, 24-hour support network through phone or text, and they also have 24-hour walk-in services in various locations (the closest is Littleton). The photos here show info in both English and Spanish.

Drive safe, hug your loved ones (human and pets), and we are available by private message if you ever need to contact us. Keep taking care of each other. Thank you again.