ESTES PARK: Larimer County Department of Natural Resources dedicated a Fallen Firefighter Memorial today at Hermit Park Open Space (HPOS) in Estes Park. The permanent memorial honors five aerial firefighters who lost their lives fighting Colorado wildfires. The Larimer County Board of County Commissioner Chair, Kristin Stephens and Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith provided remarks.

The five firefighters memorialized on the plaque include Milt Stollak (Big Elk), Rick Schwartz (Big Elk), Gordon Knight (Big Elk), Gert Marais (Fort Carson), and Mark “Thor” Olson (Kruger Rock).

A bronze plaque affixed upon a locally sourced stone boulder now rests at the memorial site located near the Pavilion overlooking Kruger Rock.