Old Snowmass house burns in fire, ‘considered a total loss’
Fire suppressed, not a risk to public, chief says
Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority/Courtesy photo
A home in Old Snowmass burned on Wednesday night, resulting in a “total loss.”
Officials confirmed in a press release that the home, located at 472 Light Hill Road, and all its contents were destroyed. No injuries were reported.
Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority responded to the reported structure fire at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, the press release states. Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority Chief Scott Thompson said the local wildfire camera system, Pano AI, notified them of the fire within a minute of getting the initial report, prompting them to call for additional resources around the valley.
“You could see it — it was huge on the camera,” Thompson said.
The release states that the fire had engulfed a home and was spreading to nearby brush and trees, in addition to threatening a neighboring house, according to initial dispatched information.
“Crews began an aggressive firefight to stop the wildland fire and protect the neighboring structure, while another crew began fighting the fully involved home with large amounts of water,” the release states.
Firefighters began hauling water from Lazy O Subdivision after the subdivision’s water supply was overwhelmed by “the amount of water needed to suppress both fires quickly” between the structure fire and wildland fire.
Thompson estimated crews were pumping 1,250 gallons of water per minute at the fire.
Responders disconnected electrical power for firefighter safety, given the size of the fire.
The fire has since been suppressed and is no longer a risk to the public, but Thompson said it was still “smoking and burning” as of approximately 2:30 p.m. Thursday. He said most crews left the fire around 4 a.m. Thursday, with one truck remaining behind to monitor the scene.
He estimated that, in total, the fire charred slightly over half an acre, including the burned house and the surrounding wildland.
He hoped the last crew still monitoring the fire would be able to leave at dusk on Thursday.
“And hopefully it doesn’t flare back up,” Thompson said.
The Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority is still investigating the cause and manner of the fire.
Along with Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority, Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District, Aspen Ambulance District, Aspen Fire Protection District, Glenwood Springs Fire Department, Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch, and Holy Cross Energy contributed to the fire suppression, the press release states.
Sixteen fire apparatus, 35 firefighters, five sheriff patrol officers, and the Pitkin County Emergency Manager were on scene.
“We wish to also thank Lazy O Subdivision for the use of water and the McCabe Ranch for assisting with their water truck to haul water to the scene of the fire,” the press release states.
Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.
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