Firefighters say a La Plata County resident saved a man from a burning house Tuesday night south of Durango.

Martin Hotter was driving past the house about 10:20 p.m. when he saw a garage on fire, said Karola Hanks, fire marshal with the Durango Fire Protection District.

Hotter notified fire officials and pounded on doors of the house. He was able to wake a man inside, she said.

“Everyone’s fine,” Hanks said Wednesday. “That probably wouldn’t have been the case without Mr. Hotter’s response. You can’t thank people enough for doing those types of things.”

Efforts to reach Hotter were unsuccessful Wednesday.

The fire started in the garage of a house in the 1800 block of County Road 220 west of Colorado Highway 172 on the Florida Mesa. Firefighters arrived to find the garage, a shed and a van fully involved. The house, a rental property, is a complete loss, Hanks said.

According to county property records, the house is owned by Monica Oldham of Silver City, New Mexico.

Investigators believe the fire may have been caused by an electrical problem, Hanks said.

shane@durangoherald.com