Law enforcement and firefighters responded Monday to the Animas Country Inn in Durango where a man tried to set himself on fire, police said.
Firefighters were called at 9:41 a.m. when a carbon monoxide detector was set off at the motel, 3310 Main Ave., said Lt. Ray Shupe, with the Durango Police Department. First responders saw smoke coming from underneath the door, he said, and no one came to the door so police knocked down the door.
Inside, they found a 56-year-old Grand Junction man who had stacked all of his personal belongings around himself in the middle of the room and set them on fire.
The man, who did not sustain life-threatening injuries, was taken to get a mental health evaluation, Shupe said.
Police are investigating the case as an arson and attempted suicide, he said.
Firefighters said the motel room sustained minor damage from the fire. More importantly, the smoke detector worked the ways it’s supposed to, which alerted guests to the danger, said Karola Hanks, fire marshal for the Durango Fire Protection District.
“A little bit of clean up and they’ll be back in business for that space,” she said.
shane@durangoherald.com
