A La Plata County man narrowly escaped a house fire with non-life threatening injuries early Monday after he was awoken by a fire alarm, said Upper Pine River Fire Protection District Chief Bruce Evans.
A bystander reported the structure fire about 3 a.m. at 3342 County Road 223. By the time emergency responders arrived, Evans said the house, about 13 miles east of Durango off U.S. Highway 160, was 50 percent engulfed in flames.
According to Evans, two people inside the house were awakened by a smoke detector. A man downstairs escaped without injuries, Evans said.
A man upstairs was trapped after the fire blocked exits out the window and the balcony. The man was forced to go down a stairway and out the front door, sustaining burns and moderate smoke inhalation.
Evans did not identify either of the two occupants, whom he said were renting the location. The owner of the property lives in Maryland, Evans said.
Firefighters finished securing the scene around 7 a.m. Monday with help from Durango Fire Protection District and Los Pinos Fire Protection District. About 20 firefighters responded to the scene.
Crews were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby forest and neighborhood, Evans said.
"It was very challenging with the water supply issue," he said. "There were no nearby hydrants, and the house was not well mitigated ... but our crews did a nice job."
The cause of the fire remained under investigation, but preliminary information shows the fire likely started on the outside of the house, perhaps on the deck, and then worked its way inside the house, Evans said.
The fir demonstraites the importance of fire detectors, and making sure they are in working order, Evans said. The house had two fire detectors, one of which did not work, he said.
"It's just another reminder that you need to check your smoke detectors," Evans said. "Had that smoke detector not gone off, the guy upstairs would have certainly been a fatality. He narrowly escaped."
Evans said the injured man was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center's Intensive Care Unit.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
