(TELLER COUNTY, Colo.) — Woodland Park Community Church is operating as a Red Cross shelter during the Highland Lake Fire on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Inside there's no shortage of food, though more is always welcome. Shelves are stocked with pizza, muffins, Gatorade, and many other items people might need while staying there. "We've been part of the Red Cross shelter system for several years now," said Randy Squires, a Woodland Park Community Church elder. "And this is my fourth time down here with an evacuation from here in Teller County." Courtesy: FOX21 News Reporter Erin BowlingCourtesy: FOX21 News Reporter Erin BowlingCourtesy: FOX21 News Reporter Erin BowlingCourtesy: FOX21 News Reporter Erin Bowling The church opened its doors to anyone in need and is providing essential items for evacuees. It's been an emotional day at the local church. An evacuee played a Native American-style flute to calm the nerves and slow the tears. Church members said about half a dozen people stayed inside last night, with even more in the parking lot to stay close to their pets. Community members have been arriving all day to drop off donations, including two young locals who convinced their employer to let them make a donation on the clock. "It's sad, honestly, especially when a lot of the places we grew up near are no longer there," said Aidan Derschan, an employee at Stop and Save. "And our community is so tight-knit that everybody's willing to help each other." One evacuee said he saw the home where the fire started, in flames, recalling the experience as a feeling of deep hopelessness and helplessness. "It was chaos. There were explosions. It sounded like propane tanks going off; sounded like some ammo. You had a lot of little explosions going off. And then it was about 15 minutes. All of a sudden, the fire started," said Joseph Allen, a fire evacuee. "It hit the grass and then it hit the trees. And then it was coming up the mountain and the next thing I know, the wife calls me and says, they're evacuating us. I'm a combat veteran and I've been in some pretty bad areas, you know, and just the feeling, the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness that you want to do something, you just, there's nothing you can do." Some people have stopped by this shelter, looking for their loved ones who live in evacuation zones. According to the Red Cross, they cannot provide that kind of information for privacy reasons.