.png)
An elderly couple died in a house fire Tuesday night on County Road 525 east of Bayfield, according to Upper Pine River Fire Protection District.
The fire was reported shortly before 8 p.m. in the 1000 block of County Road 525, according to scanner traffic.
Upper Pine River Fire Protection District Chief Bruce Evans said when firefighters arrived on scene shortly after the call, the house – an older wooden structure – had already become so engulfed in flames that all they could do was prevent it from becoming a wildfire.
“It was a defensive fire,” Evans said.
Evans said firefighters from Upper Pine, with mutual aid from Los Pinos Fire Protection District, were able to quell the blaze and prevent it from spreading.
Evans said investigators from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control sent two investigators to the scene from Grand Junction to determine what caused the fire. They found that two propane space heaters likely being used to thaw frozen pipes had caused the fire.
“The family had reported that the wife was looking to try to thaw out some frozen pipes in the house, and may have been using the space heaters to do that,” Evans said.
Evans said the couple – whose identities have not yet been released – were elderly and could not escape the house fast enough.
He also said they were well-known and loved by their neighbors and the broader community, and sent his condolences to the family.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
