The Durango Fire Protection District has determined that a fire earlier this month in north Durango occurred on private land rather than in Oxbow Park & Preserve, as originally thought.
The fire was reported around 2:30 p.m. April 2 in north Durango near Animas View Drive. By about 5 p.m. that day, firefighters had controlled the brush fire to about 2 acres.
DFPD said at the time the fire was within Oxbow Park & Preserve.
Fire Marshal Karola Hanks, however, said the fire district, along with the city of Durango and others, re-evaluated property boundaries and determined the fire was located on private property owned by Romad Investments.
“(The fire was) not within boundaries of Oxbow Park as previously believed,” Hanks said. “The area is immediately adjacent.”
After the fire, DFPD and the Durango Police Department conducted a joint investigation to determine the cause and origin of the fire.
Shortly after emergency crews arrived, a person of interest was identified who was seen in the area, the statement said. The person was questioned and admitted to investigators he started the fire.
The man was identified as Thomas Joseph Cox, who, according to the statement, is a member of the local transient community and well-known to law enforcement.
Cox was cited with “firing woods or prairie,” a Class 2 misdemeanor.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
