Colorado deputy recounts being first to see, hear Nederland fire: "The heat kind of hit me in the face"

For Boulder County Sheriff's Deputy Josh Jarboe, the early morning of Thursday, Oct. 9, is one he'll likely never forget.

"I was at my traffic spot over off (Highway) 119 as you head into the canyon," Jarboe remembers of that morning. "I had my windows down because I like to be able to hear. I start hearing a popping noise, and I wasn't familiar with that kind of noise, so I was like, 'I'm going to cruise back into town and see what's going on.'"

A fire broke out at the Caribou Village Shopping Center in Nederland on Oct. 9. Dan Vollmer

Just after 3:40 in the morning, Jarboe was the first person on the scene of a massive fire that ultimately destroyed 18 businesses .

"How close did you get?" asked CBS Colorado anchor Michael Spencer when meeting with Jarboe. "I pulled my car righ