A fire engulfed a home at 517 County Road 230 midday Friday near Elmore’s Corner.
The home’s new resident, who was moving in Friday, escaped the flames just in time to avoid injury. Though the structure’s basic shape remains, the building was declared a total loss by fire district officials.
Karola Hanks, Durango Fire Protection District fire marshal, said the blaze was caused by the faulty installation of a woodstove pipe, which was used for heating.
“This is not an uncommon cause of fires in our community,” she said.
The fire district responds to about a half-dozen of these specific woodstove pipe cases a year, she said.
In an effort to prevent these accidents, she advised homeowners to consult La Plata County’s building department to assure their home is built to code.
Historically, she said, many homeowners have taken responsibility to care for their own property, but sometimes their skills may not suffice to prevent a fire hazard.
“Some people know more about those things than others,” Hanks said. “So whenever there is a question, they should consult the experts – in this case, it would be the building officials.”
The property’s farmhand was in the process of moving into the home when the fire erupted. Hanks does not believe he will be liable for the damage caused to the residence.
“He works on that farm. They’re probably going to take good care of him,” she said.
According to county public records, the home is owned by Hill LLC – Lola Hill, Leland Hill and Walter Leland Hill.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
