Fourmile Fire survivor aids NoCo group

GOLD HILL – A Fourmile Canyon Fire survivor is working with the NoCo Rebuilding Network, a Fort Collins nonprofit group, to raise money for victims of the still-burning High Park Fire.

Gold Hill resident Joanne Cole saw her home spared by just feet from the Fourmile Canyon Fire in September 2010. At the time, she took a lead role in organizing the Boulder Mountain Fire Relief Fund, which raised $800,000 in donations for victims. The money was distributed between four fire departments and 200 individuals who submitted requests for help, Cole said. The Boulder Mountain Fire Relief Fund operated under the auspices of a Boulder nonprofit group, the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, Cole said.

Now, Cole is lending her voice to NoCo Rebuilding’s efforts to help fire victims in the foothills of Larimer County. NoCo Rebuilding has raised $5,000 so far and plans to donate 100 percent of donations to homeowners looking to rebuild their homes in Larimer County, according to Amy Alcorn, a spokeswoman for the group.

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The Fourmile Canyon Fire destroyed 169 homes. To date, the High Park Fire west of Fort Collins has burned 189 homes and claimed one life, according to news reports. It is about 50 percent contained.

“The (High Park Fire) has eclipsed (the Fourmile Canyon Fire), big-time,” Cole said. “Fire will be the dictating event for our lives along the Front Range and in Colorado. It’s a big deal.”

People who want to make donations to fire victims should take into account that disaster relief agencies such as the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, are good organizations, but they’re not local, Cole said.

“The money does not stay locally. They move to the next disaster,” Cole said.

Several NoCo Rebuilding fundraisers are planned and others already have taken place, Alcorn said. Fort Collins businesses involved with the fundraisers include: New Belgium Brewing Co., Pateros Creek Brewing Co., The Waffle Lab, The Holler!, Wilbur’s Total Beverage, Bath Garden Center and Nursery, Whole Foods Market Inc. (Nasdaq: WFMI), Pringles Fine Wine and Spirits, Mugs Coffee Lounge, Santa Fe Craftsman, Nordy’s BBQ, The Cupboard, Equinox Brewing and Beau Jo’s Pizza Restaurant, according to a press release from the group.

To donate online, visit NoCoRebuilding.org.

NoCo Rebuilding was formed in spring 2011 to raise funds for victims of the Crystal Fire, in Buckhorn Canyon west of Fort Collins, which was burned again by the current fire, Alcorn said.