A fire destroyed part of a home on Los Pinos Drive on Tuesday in Bayfield, then briefly came back to life on Wednesday morning.
The fire started outside the home on Tuesday afternoon, torching the exterior walls and burning the attic, said Bruce Evans, chief of Upper Pine Fire.
A small insulation fire then sparked up again at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, added Capt. Roy Vreeland. Some of the home’s contents can be salvaged, but they estimated about half of the building is destroyed.
The house has a wood-burning stove, and investigators believe a bucket of ashes set outside eventually ignited the wooden deck in the back of the home.
A dog was in the home on Tuesday when firefighters responded, but he was safely brought outside.
The property is owned by Cari Westwood, according to county property records.
The home’s Christmas tree survived the blaze. Crews from the Los Pinos and Durango fire protection districts also responded to the fire.
“Please dispose of your fireplace ashes in a fire-proof container or in a bucket of water away from your house,” Upper Pine wrote on its Facebook page.
