Fire destroys home, kills dog

MONTROSE — Firefighters pulled one dog from a burning home Wednesday night, but the other canine, as well as everything the residents owned, was lost to the flames.

The fate of cats that also lived at the trailer home in the 400 block of South San Juan Avenue was not known as of Thursday, Montrose Fire Protection District Chief Bob Pistor said.

Radiant heat from a heat lamp ignited dog bedding in the porch area shortly before 8 p.m., Pistor said. The home’s occupants, identified by a neighbor as Marcelino and Juanita Garcia, smelled the smoke and at first thought it was their wood stove. Instead, the porch was ablaze, and they hurriedly left the residence.

Pistor said a woman at the scene had to be transported to the hospital because she was overcome with emotion.

He said the structure burned quickly. The fire district noted in an incident report that extinguishment was hampered by the amount of household items filling the trailer house, which made it hard for crews to maneuver.

Montrose Police also responded, blocking off the road within two blocks of the trailer park and directed traffic.

At the scene Wednesday, neighbors clustered across the street expressed concern for the fire victims.

“We’re a tight little community in there,” said one woman, who did not want to be identified.

The park did not have to be evacuated, Pistor said, because a lack of wind reduced the danger to surrounding structures. “It’s always a concern, but without any wind at all, it was pretty well confined and we had enough guys there that we could have hose-lines on both sides of it,” he said.

The fire was contained within an hour and crews cleared the scene at around 11 p.m.

But the Garcias lost everything. The structure was valued at $35,000 and their contents, at $30,000. The fire district said the family had no insurance.

“It’s a total loss,” Pistor said. “I don’t know what to do about this. This is the third fire that we’ve had in a row with no insurance.”

The Red Cross assisted the family with clothing, food, winter garments and bedding, Emergency Response Manager Scott Cline said.

He said the Garcias are having a hard time finding a new house to rent, because rentals usually require a security deposit and first month’s rent. They are currently staying with friends.

Cline didn’t know whether a bank account was established or if any fund-raisers were planned.

Pistor urged anyone who’s renting to check into renters’ insurance, which is usually inexpensive. Renters’ insurance can’t replace some personal mementos, but it will replace costly basics such as furniture and, depending on the policy, electronics, jewelry and other household goods.

Pistor also reminded people to use caution when using heat lamps or portable heaters. “You’ve got to be very careful where you place them and keep them far enough from combustibles,” he said.

The fire was deemed unintentional in nature. Pistor didn’t know whether the residents had a smoke detector, because the blaze destroyed everything.

“The fire did so much damage. In a trailer that old, they won’t come with one. If people do live in an older trailer and don’t have a smoke detector and can’t afford one, we will give them one.”