Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Two people escape Ryan Park inferno
A firefighter battles a fire at a home in Ryan Park early Tuesday morning. Thirty firefighters from four departments fought the blaze for more than 6 hours, but the 3,400 square foot home was completely destroyed.
Fire destroyed a Ryan Park cabin early Tuesday morning, despite the efforts of four fire departments that responded to the blaze.
The fire completely destroyed the two story log home that was estimated to be 3,400 square feet. The home was declared a total loss. At the time the fire started, two people were inside. Nobody was injured in the fire.
Ryan Park fire department responded to the fire call at approximately 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday. Once they arrived, they called for assistance from neighboring departments. In addition to the the Ryan Park department, Encampment, Saratoga and Carbon County fire departments all responded to the blaze, but were unable to save the structure.
Jim Piche, assistant fire chief of the Ryan Park Fire Department said that there were 12 pieces of fire apparatus, including tankers and pumpers on scene, as well as upwards of 30 firefighters on scene. Piche estimated that about 25,000 gallons of water were pumped during the struggle against the blaze. Firefighters drew water from a nearby creek to avoid having to bring it in with trucks, he said.
The last piece of firefighting equipment left the scene at 6 p.m. after extinguishing all hot spots. Most firefighters were released around 9 a.m., Piche said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Piche expects that the cause will eventually be reported as undetermined. Because the fire devastated the entire home, any evidence that could have conclusively proved the cause was destroyed, he said. A likely cause may have been the home's woodstove, Piche said.
Piche did not know the estimated value of the home, but said it was insured and that the owners were planning to rebuild.
Piche said the fire could have been worse had it not been for the ample snowpack on the ground in Ryan Park, which helped prevent the blaze from spreading. "The cabin burned extreme, but the things on our side were that the large snow on the ground kept it in that area," he said. "If we had that same type of fire in the summertime, it would have been devastating.
Reader Comments(0)