17 lives saved from fire

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GOLDEN - When Walt Queen's home caught fire, neighbors saw it turn into a fireball that they couldn't imagine anything surviving.

The home was a complete loss, but when firefighters heard barking coming from the basement, they learned that not everything was lost.

"We heard a report that there were dogs in there and we were like, 'Oh no," Nathan Wilis said, a firefighter with the Pleasant View Fire Department.

When firefighters reached the basement of the home, the same area where it is believed the fire started, they found two adult Yorkshire terriers and 15 puppies.

"They were pretty scared," Wilis said. "They were cold, they were wet, so we wrapped them in blankets and towels. They actually didn't have enough, so they had to cut them in half to get them in blankets."

Queen and his family weren't home when the fire started, which is suspected to have started from an electrical short, but arrived to see his home engulfed in flames.

"The flames were shooting about a hundred feet high and it is just a miracle my puppies lived," Queen explained.

He and his family have raised Yorkshire terriers for several generations. The puppies in the basement were 12 weeks old. The firefighters worked together to get them all out.

"We started pulling them out and handing them, there was just a line of firefighters with dogs last night," Wilis said. "And we confirmed the count that we got them all out and we were quite happy."

"Lucky isn't the word for it," Queen said, describing the rescue. Looking at the firefighters he said, "The real heroes are standing right there."

On Friday evening, a small fire flared up in the attic of the home but crews say it caused no additional damage.

If you are interesting in adopting one of the Yorkshire terrier puppies, they are for sale. You can contact Queen Yorkie Palace at 303-618-5958 or visit their Web site at www.queenyorkies-palace.com.