Trinidad ambulance crew honored for rescuing three from house fire

Six Trinidad Ambulance District members were honored June 18 for a rescue that turned a burning house on Camillus Street into a test of how quickly Las Animas County’s emergency crews can work together. The Medals of Valor and Life-Saving Awards went to Lt./Paramedic Liz Romero, Lt./Paramedic John Velasquez, EMT Jayme Jolly, EMT Noah Sartori, EMT Amanda Aschoff and Paramedic Jason Stodghill. Their actions during the March 21 fire at 630 Camillus St. helped save three people who were trapped inside as the front of the home was already fully engulfed.

Emergency dispatchers reported multiple people trapped inside when the call came in just after 7 p.m. on March 21. Ambulance personnel arrived with the Trinidad Fire Department to find the front of the structure engulfed in flames, then worked to force access into the residence and reach the occupants. Three residents were pulled out after crews pushed through a scene that required a coordinated response from ambulance staff and firefighters, with medical care beginning immediately once the victims were clear of the house.

That rapid treatment mattered. District officials credited the crew’s response and aggressive intervention with directly contributing to the rescue outcome, and two of the three victims have since recovered and returned home. Separate reports about the blaze said the fire began on a porch in the 600 block of Camillus Street, spread to two additional structures on the same property and required a three-hour response from four fire agencies.

The fire also underscored the level of medical capability now being asked of local responders in a rural county. Another update said all three injured parties were airlifted to UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver by Flight for Life, while one other occupant inside was apparently not injured. A later report said smoke from burning plastics left the patients critically ill and that Trinidad Ambulance District crews administered a rare cyanide antidote on scene during transport.

The June 18 presentation also highlighted how much of Trinidad’s emergency backbone rests on the ambulance district itself. Trinidad Ambulance District staffs two ambulances 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from stations on the east and west sides of Trinidad, and it has described its mission as saving lives and reducing pain and suffering with compassion, integrity and respect. The district has also built a Rescue Task Force with local police and the Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office, reflecting the kind of cross-agency coordination that turned the Camillus Street fire into a successful rescue rather than a fatality.

The Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office took part in the award presentation, with Sheriff Derek Navarette and Phil Martin joining the recognition. The honors pointed to the question residents care about most when disaster strikes: who shows up, how fast and with what training when the smoke is still rising.