Family who lost home in Marshall Fire names newborn puppy 'Ash'
BRIGHTON, Colo. — A room full of playful puppies could put a smile on anyone's face, but these cuddly canines have even more significance to this family.
Rachel Bishop, her boyfriend Cory Bird, and their children were one of the thousands of Coloradans who lost their home on Dec. 30, 2021 to the Marshall Fire in Boulder County. They were renting their home in the Sagamore neighborhood of Superior, one the areas that was most destroyed in the blaze.
Bishop works from home and said she was on a Zoom call when she started to smell smoke. Then she and her 14-year-old daughter saw white smoke behind their home.
“So at that point I called 911, reported the fire. They were already aware. So she told me if we feel unsafe then to evacuate,” Bishop said, recalling the events of the day.
So that's exactly what Bishop and her family did. They grabbed what they could in a short amount of time, which included their pregnant Mexican hairless dog, Ginger.
“It happened all within six minutes. From the minute I had seen the fire from the minute we got in the car and left, it was six minutes," said Bishop.
With only the taillights of other cars evacuating the neighborhood to guide them out of the dark, smoke-filled skies, Bishop left the home they had only just moved into in August.
Now, the family is staying with Bird's cousin in Brighton until they figure out more permanent housing solutions. Bishop and Bird's room there is currently a little more crowded.
Their pregnant dog had four puppies, one female and three males, just eight days after the Marshall Fire burned down their home. All were welcomed into the world in a hotel room. While getting ready to go to other families, Bishop decided to keep one of the puppies she felt an immediate connection to.
"I fell in love with him right away … he’s just so tiny," said Bishop, referring the black hairless puppy they aptly decided to name Ash, in reference to his dark color, their now-burned home and the resilience their family and so many others are now facing.
“He’s one of our blessings," said Bishop. "One of our joys that came from the fire."
Alexis Kikoen is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at alexiskikoen@rmpbs.org.