A house fire on Silverton Avenue in northern Durango was under control as of 6:20 p.m. Friday.
“The fire occurred in the area of the boiler that feeds the in-floor heat, stove, hot water heater and dryer,” said Fire Marshal Karola Hanks of the Durango Fire Protection District at about 7:20 p.m. “We’re releasing the crews now, but a couple of us will stay until Atmos (Energy) can turn off the natural gas at the street. We’ll have an expert look at the boiler and all the valves before we turn it back on, and my anticipation is that no one looks at it until tomorrow (Saturday).”
The fire was contained to the area around the boiler, she said. The residents won’t have use of any of the appliances until it has been confirmed the boiler is safe to use.
“The family used fire extinguishers and then brought a garden hose in through a side window to fight it before we got here,” Hanks said. “It probably did hold the fire in that area, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
The home, adjacent to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks, was called out about half an hour earlier. At one point, firefighters had to move off the tracks as an evening train arrived.
“It’s that time of year when furnaces, wood stoves and other heaters are turned on,” she said.
abutler@durangoherald.com
