LOUISVILLE, Colo. — About 100 Marshall Fire victims gathered Sunday afternoon for the unveiling of a new memorial at the Louisville Arboretum, honoring the more than 1,000 pets they lost.
This sculpture depicts several animals, including a dog, a bird, a cat, and a reptile, interacting in a friendly manner. It was donated by Louisville Rising, a Colorado nonprofit that raised $30,000 for the project.
“It’s like pet heaven,” said Caleb Dickinson of Louisville Rising.
Dickinson’s organization hired firefighter Michael Garman for the project. Dickinson also wrote the inscription on the plaque.
Marshall Fire victim Lisa Young, who lost her home and two cats in the fire, said she is “healing.”
Young saw his house on fire on a news program and realized his house and cat were lost. Her two cats, Ju and Noel, were strays that she adopted from a rescue when they were 5 months old.
“I ended up going to cat therapy because I couldn’t get over cats,” Young said.
In addition to losing two living pets, Young said she also buried several of her previous pets in her backyard. As crews began cleaning up the burn area, Young also lost the graves of his former pets.
Young plans to create a personal memorial for her lost pet in her new backyard.
The Marshall Fire occurred on December 30, 2021 near the cities of Superior and Louisville. Wind gusts of up to 115 mph and dry conditions caused it to spread rapidly, killing two people, destroying 1,084 homes, and causing more than $2 billion in damage.
The fire likely started from a buried fire and a downed power line.
Marshall Fire Victims Remember 1,000 Pets Lost at Louisville Memorial Unveiling
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