When Dane Layton lost everything in a house fire, his friends were quick to act in order to help.
On Feb. 7 Elk Creek, Platte Canyon, Evergreen, Inter Canyon and North Fork Fire Protection Districts responded to a house on fire near 14100 Wamblee Trail in Conifer.
“We were called to a possible chimney fire, possible structure fire,” Elk Creek Fire Chief Jacob Ware said. “On arrival, we got there, there was a fair amount of smoke. It was challenging because of the road conditions, it was steep, snowy and icy.”
While no people or animals were hurt in the fire, the house burned to the ground and one fire engine was damaged.
When Daniel Babb woke up on Monday and heard about the state of his friend’s home, he was in shock. He could not believe Layton lost everything. That is when he and fellow friend Ben Lack started a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money for Layton.
“Within the first few hours we posted it, we had already gotten over $1,000,” Babb said.
Babb said setting something up for his friend felt like the right thing to do. They go to school together at Conifer High School.
“I’ve been best friends with Dane since freshman year,” he said.
Layton said the morning of the fire was filled with panic and confusion.
“I was in the house throughout all of it. The alarms went off at 11:05,” he said.
Describing the moments before they left the house, Layton said, “We didn’t really know what was happening exactly. We were in a panic.”
While the rest of his family has extra clothes at their second home in Salida, Layton lost all of his things to the house fire in Conifer. His friends met their fundraising goal of $5,000 within a few days, and hope the money can help Layton replace some of his lost belongings.
Layton was grateful for his friends, and knew the safety of his family was most important.
“Thank you for all the donations, they are going to help me a lot. We are alive, which is the important [part],” Layton said.