A Home Gone, A Community Pulled Together

Louisville, Colo. – What is believed to have started from a freak accident has become life-altering for thousands in the state of Colorado. Wildfires, which may have been the most damaging in the state’s history, have ravaged suburban neighborhoods in Boulder County. Stemming from drought conditions in recent months, paired with incredibly strong winds to fuel a fast-paced spread, a perfect stage was set up out west for devastating results.

Two people remain missing and roughly 1,000 homes, along with a shopping complex and a hotel, have burned to the ground. Tens of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate. Over 1,500 more residents sat without power Sunday night as hurricane-like winds spread the fire over 6,219 acres.

Insert Sophia Chen – a Louisville, Colo., native who has been a staple of the University at Albany women’s soccer team. Sophia started playing soccer when she was in first grade. She played at Monarch High School in Louisville, and led the Broomfield Soccer Club to the 2014-15 and 2015-16 Colorado State Cup Championships. She was named Second Team All-Colorado and First Team All-Region in 2016. 

The next year, she chose to take her talent over 1,800 miles east to the University at Albany to become a Great Dane.

She first came to UAlbany in 2017, starting three games as a freshman goalkeeper. Four years and over 30 games played later, Sophia led the women’s soccer squad as a team captain in 2021 - her graduate season. Sophia used her position within the program to promote love and understanding, having a large hand in the team’s annual ‘Pride Game’ every year. She earned her undergraduate degree from UAlbany just a few weeks ago. 

But on Thursday, Dec. 30, just a few weeks after returning home from New York, Sophia’s world changed forever when she heard of the fires. 

Sophia was at the gym that morning after visiting with a friend the night prior. She recalls seeing smoke from the rec center window while observing with other bystanders, but didn’t realize the severity of the situation. That’s when she got a call from her father, serious in tone, telling her they needed to act fast. 

Her dad, Michael, had a simple, yet stern, message for her before they reached the house. 

“He said to me ‘you have one minute to go inside and get what you need, then we have to leave immediately’ because at that point, my whole front lawn was on fire.” 

Sophia had 60 seconds to go into her life-long home to grab what she could. 

Sophia was able to grab a shoe box that she had taken back from UAlbany a few weeks prior, packed with pictures, keepsakes, and memories from her time as a Great Dane. She then dashed over to her sister Alana’s room, who had passed two years prior, to grab anything in sight.  

“I really wanted to save some memories of her,” she recalled. 

Along with the shoe box, Sophia was able to grab one of her sister’s poems that was sitting atop her piano. 

It would be the last time she would ever see her bedroom, her sister’s bedroom, her entire family house that the Chens had owned for 27 years. 

Sophia and her dad left the house, rushing to evacuate. They wound up driving through their town in what was described as an “apocalyptic” scene, as visibility dwindled and traffic built from others trying to do the same. Neither of them, nor their two family dogs, were harmed or injured in the evacuation. Sophia’s mother, Joyce, brother, Sabatino, and Sister, Carissa, were also safe – all out of town at the time of the fire. 

“It was crazy… There was so much going on, so much chaos, that I wasn’t really thinking straight.”

But in a moment full of so much emotion, anarchy, and heartbreak, Sophia had people there to help – her friends and family. 

One of those who offered support was Leigh Howard, Head Coach of the UAlbany women’s soccer program. Coach Howard first found out of Sophia’s situation the day after tragedy struck.

Shortly after finding out, Coach Howard shared the news with her staff and brought it to Sophia’s former teammates in the team’s group chat. 

“I encouraged them to reach out to Sophia and offer their support, and we let them know we were trying to figure out what we could potentially do to support her.” 

“She [Coach Howard] has been extremely helpful,” said Sophia. “And the girls on the team have reached out to me and offered their support.”

Since learning the news, Coach Howard has kept up with Sophia every day. She has worked with her team and UAlbany Athletics Administration to find ways to help Sophia in her immediate day-to-day life. 

“I know that Sophia has a tremendous amount of support on this team and has formed a lot of really close relationships,” added Coach Howard. “I know that our players have been in close contact with her and have been communicating with her, but they have also been sharing a little about her story and her talent on social media.” 

In addition, a GoFundMe page was created by Sophia’s brother, Sabatino, in an effort to raise money for essentials – such as new clothes for Sophia and her father (which were lost in the fire), meals, and temporary housing. 

As of January 6, the page has raised over $40,000.  

Sophia added “Every day my brother has been texting me about the people who have donated, it’s amazing. I feel so incredibly grateful that I have so many people that are willing to help my family and I. I would have never expected to get this much support... It’s exceeded every expectation I ever had… I’m very fortunate to have what I have.”

Sophia and her father are currently in the process of looking for long term housing. Donations to the Chen Family Home GoFundMe page can be made by clicking here. 

Showing her true character, Sophia graciously asks supporters to also consider making donations to others that were impacted in her community. She specifically asks for support for one man, a 72-year old widower named Kaz, who lost his home to the fire and his wife to cancer a few years ago. Donations for Kaz can be made by clicking here. 

In addition, donations to the Boulder County Community Foundation can be made by clicking here.