"(This fire) kind of hit too close to home since we know several people that lost their houses. I was thinking what would happen if I wasn't home and my dog was home freaking out a little bit. I'm a dog lover," he said.
The fire was driven by wind gusts of 105 miles per hour (169 km per hour), which caused flames to leapfrog over highways and entire neighborhoods on Thursday, authorities said. The winds created a mosaic burn pattern that saw untouched homes standing next to those left in ashes.
A spreadsheet posted online on the Boulder County Fire Lost & Found Pets page showed 67 pets missing from the fires.
About 20 people showed up to look for pets, bringing treats, cat and dog kennels, and other gear. The volunteers split into smaller groups and fanned out across the area, often stopping at check points and walking in through neighborhoods.
Evelina Esteves, 50, drove up from Ponderosa Park, south of Denver, just to help. She used to live in the Boulder area and felt compelled to volunteer her time.
"We are just heartbroken for all these people who lost their homes but also for their pets. It's just--people's pets are their family members," she said.
The search comes amid a cold front bringing freezing temperatures to the region. The same system dumped snow Friday into Saturday, much to the relief of firefighters trying to put out the last remnants of the fire.
Natalie Kidd, 33, is a former emergency veterinarian technician. She drove down from Lyons to help.
"I saw that my animals were okay, and I thought well okay, I owe it to them to help someone else's animal," she said.
Holmquist said sadly no pets were found on Saturday.
