When the Ferris Fire reached Dolores River Canyon, Glenn Dunmire was watching the place he calls home become part of a much larger emergency.
Dunmire lives just above Bradfield Bridge, east of Cahone. He says the fire burned up the rim east of his house and stopped a few hundred yards from his property.
“They had their hands full,” Dunmire said. “The fire was quite active.”
He said the fire moved in multiple directions over a short period of time as it burned near homes, farmland and the canyon rim.
No homes or structures were lost in the fire.
The Ferris Fire became one of the largest wildfires in Colorado history, burning through parts of Montezuma and Dolores counties and prompting evacuations across multiple zones. But for Dunmire, the fire also became a very personal question: what do you take when you may not know whether your home will still be there later?
Dunmire was out of the area when the fire began. As it grew more aggressive, he flew back home to deal with the evacuation.
He and his wife had lived on the property for more than 30 years. That meant decades of belongings, including family photos, artwork, hard drives, books, river gear and other irreplaceable items.
At first, he thought he would take one truckload.
Then friends started calling.
Dunmire said people from different parts of his life began showing up to help: rafting friends, hiking and climbing friends, bicycling friends, neighbors and people from the broader Four Corners community.
One person arrived with bubble wrap, boxes and a van. Others helped haul trailers, boats and other belongings. Food from a large freezer was moved into several different freezers in Montezuma County.
Within minutes, Dunmire said, he went from being alone to having multiple people and vehicles at the house helping him move what mattered.
The evacuation order came after residents had already been placed under pre-evacuation notice.
Dunmire said a sheriff’s deputy came up his driveway and told him it was time to leave. He said the order did not feel panicked. Instead, it felt planned.
He checked in at the evacuation center at the Pleasant View Fire Department. There, he received a re-entry card and found himself surrounded by immediate neighbors from the same evacuation zone.
Dunmire said some residents used lodging arranged through the emergency response, including bed-and-breakfast stays. Others had friends or family to stay with.
He said he was impressed by the evacuation response and the options available for residents.
Crews also worked directly around homes near Bradfield Bridge.
Dunmire said firefighters set up portable water tanks, pumps and sprinkler systems around homes in his area. Tankers and pumpers returned to keep the systems supplied with water.
The fire did not reach Dunmire’s property. He said it stopped about 600 yards from his house.
But nearby, he saw how close it came to other homes.
He said crews saved houses with sprinklers, pumper trucks and direct firefighting work, even when flames moved through trees and vegetation around some properties.
The fire also had another layer of meaning for Dunmire because of his long connection to Dolores River Canyon.
He previously guided river trips there and later did biology work in the canyon and along the rims. Some of his research sites were affected by the fire.
The stretch between Bradfield Bridge and Dove Creek is known as Ponderosa Gorge because of the old-growth ponderosa pines that grow there. Dunmire said parts of the canyon also contain Douglas fir stands that represent cooler and wetter conditions from the past.
He said the fire burned some large trees and canyon habitat, though aerial imagery also shows pockets of vegetation that survived.
Dunmire said he is also concerned about what happens after the flames.
Recent rain caused flash flooding near his property. He said water rushed through draws near his home at a volume high enough that, as a former river runner, he thought it could have carried a boat.
In burned areas, heavy rain can move ash, dirt, rocks and other debris downstream into side canyons and eventually into the Dolores River.
Dunmire said that process can reshape rapids and river channels, but it also raises concerns because the Dolores River below McPhee Dam already sees limited boating flows in many years.
The experience has changed how he thinks about home.
Dunmire built his house himself. He said he made every cut and put in every fastener. He also planted an orchard with about 200 fruit trees.
When the fire came close, he said, the thought of losing the house and property became very real.
The fire also pushed him to think more about defensible space.
Dunmire said fire crews asked him to move firewood that was stacked against the north side of his house. He said he moved it within the hour.
Experts say homeowners can reduce risk by clearing brush, trees, grasses and other fuels close to structures. Metal roofs, nonflammable siding and xeriscaping are also measures that can help.
Fire does not always run directly at a house. Sometimes, embers travel ahead of the main fire and start new fires in unexpected places.
For Dunmire, the Ferris Fire was frightening. But he said it also showed the strength of the local response.
Fire crews used part of his property as a staging area near County Roads 16 and R. He said they stockpiled equipment there, set up toilets and kept an ambulance nearby because of the location’s access to Bradfield Bridge and nearby homes.
Dunmire put up a sign thanking firefighters.
He said it was strange to have emergency crews so close to his home, but in this case, it was the best possible outcome.
The fire did not burn his house. Friends helped move what he could not move alone. And firefighters used the area around his home to protect the surrounding neighborhood.
Dunmire said the experience showed him what community means.
Dunmire also asked to thank the people who helped him during the evacuation, including Eric Hendrickson, Logan Dean, Jen Stark, Tracy Murphy, Bill Hatcher, Melanie Bell, Tom Rice, Kelly McAndrews, Rodney Johnson, Juan, Jared and Kelsey, and Phil Schmidt, who gave his wooden dory a place to stay while Dunmire was evacuated. He said people showed up with vehicles, trailers, boxes, freezer space and other help, sometimes without being asked. “It’s overwhelming how people just come out of the woodwork to help when you’re in need,” Dunmire said.
“It’s overwhelming how people just come out of the woodwork to help when you’re in need,” he said. “I really feel like we have a community in the Four Corners.”