Rookie Firefighter Fights Colorado Blaze, Watches Own Home Go Up In Flames

Rookie Firefighter Emily Franklin battled the first fire of her young career as a quickly developing blaze engulfed the town Estes Park. The only problem was that it was her home that was being consumed by the fast-moving flames, reports MSN.

“This is my first fire and it was my own home,” Franklin, 18, told ABC News.”Great way to kick off a career.”

One of several fires that are claiming homes in the Colorado area, Franklin noticed the fire spreading as it approached her home. She quickly ran outside and turned on her water hose, instructing her neighbors to do the same. As fellow firefighters arrived to the neighborhood she ran up to the command center with her gear to receive instructions.

Franklin received her orders and was able to see her home going up in flames in the process. There was nothing she could do as her childhood home was incinerated in the blaze.

“I look through the trees and see fire going under our deck, and I was like, ‘I think that’s my house,'” She said. “It goes up, and I was like, ‘That’s my house!”

Franklin continued to work throughout the day assisting residents as the fire swept through the town, knowing that her home and all of her possessions were gone.

“I guess anything can happen in a matter of 10 minutes,” she said. “Getting out was the most important thing, so that’s what we did.”

This Colorado fire was one among many that firefighters are struggling to contain. The Waldo Canyon fire is the largest of the fires burning over 18,500 acres and reducing hundreds of homes to nothing but ashes.