Six Willows Condominium owners lost units in Snowmass structure fire Wednesday

Six owners lost their condominium units due to a structure fire at the upper Willow Condominiums in Snowmass Village Wednesday morning.

The Roaring Fork Fire Rescue was called to a structure fire at 230 Carriage Way at 9:42 a.m. on Wednesday, where crews were met with heavy smoke coming from the attic and the eaves of the Willows Condominiums. 

The fire caused heavy damage to Building D of the condominiums. Owners of the six units that were lost are being assisted by the Western Colorado Red Cross to find temporary housing, Willows board member Bret Lohr told The Aspen Times.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, he said. 

Firefighters fought the fire for approximately one hour before moving to a defensive attack due to the risk of the roof falling, according to a media release from the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District.

The people who made the call to the fire department were able to evacuate all of their neighbors, and nearby structures were also evacuated for safety.

There were 47 responders on the scene with five fire engines. Aspen Fire Protection District, Aspen ambulances, Snowmass Village Police Department, Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District, Glenwood Springs Fire Department, and other responders were also on the scene. The Roaring Fork Fire Rescue called for additional resources due to the type of building and fire behavior, according to the release.

“When crews arrived on the scene, they encountered heavy fire from the structure,” said Incident Commander Jessica Waltenburg in the release. “They made a quick attack from both Roaring Fork Fire Rescue and our neighbors from up and down the valley. We appreciate their fast response and actions to help us minimize additional loss.”

Crews were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby condominiums. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries.

The fire closed parts of Lower Carriage Way in Snowmass, which will remain closed at least until Wednesday evening as firefighters remain on the scene. It also temporarily suspended Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus service to the Snowmass Mall.

“We’re just really happy that everybody’s safe,” Lohr said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, he did not know what the next steps would be for those who lost their units. There will be an investigation into what caused the fire.