On the night of Sept. 18, a residence at River Ranch Mobile Home Park in Kremmling became engulfed in flames. Kremmling resident Freddy Barrios Dominguez died in the fire. The first two people on the scene of the accident were Colorado State Patrol Trooper John Morange and Kremmling Police Officer Bryson Hicks.
The two law enforcement officers acted quickly together as the flames grew higher. Both Trooper Morange and Officer Hicks positioned themselves on the back side of the mobile home in between the fire and a home next door, using garden hoses from a neighboring home to keep the fire from spreading to a shed. This prevented the fire from traveling down the shed and to the rows of homes – a much greater disaster.
On Nov. 8, both men were honored for their brave actions to fight the fire. At the Grand County Board of Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Brett Schroetlin presented Morange and Hicks with the Sheriff Commendation Awards.
“Their decision to place themselves in this position was critical in protecting additional residences, but most importantly saving lives, as there are many families and lots of children that live in this mobile home park,” The Sheriff’s Office stated after the awards ceremony. “As they tried to prevent the fire spread, they faced intense heat, smoke, flames and other hazards of fire such as windows shattering and nearby fuel sources.”
Morange and Hicks successfully kept the fire under control until other first responders arrived. The Kremmling Fire Protection District, Kremmling Police Department, Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Hot Sulphur Springs/Parshall Fire Protection District, Grand Fire Protection District No. 1 and Grand County Emergency Medical Services all responded to the scene and successfully put the fire out.
“Incidents such as this highlight the collaborative approach that all of our public safety agencies across Grand County use to keep our community safe,” Sheriff Brett Schroetlin stated. “I am appreciative to our partner agencies for their quick response and actions on this fire.”