ARVADA, Colo. — The weekend after a brush fire forced evacuations in Arvada’s Leyden Rock community, dozens of residents gathered in their neighborhood clubhouse for a seven-hour emergency management workshop.
The event was organized months in advance by the City of Arvada and the neighborhood’s metro district, but it took on new urgency after flames burned roughly 10 acres nearby last Thursday. Christian Ardita, one of five board members for the Leyden Rock Metropolitan District, said planning for the session long predated the fire.
“The urgency has been there all along, but the fire on Thursday was a wake-up call,” said Ardita. “We do need to have another egress or a way out of our community, and hopefully, with the city and working all together, we can figure out escape routes and egress from emergencies such as the fire on Thursday.”…