Silverton is facing the aftermath of a structure fire that broke out on May 20.
Firefighters were preparing to do their annual street wash when a volunteer firefighter spotted a plume of smoke coming from a business near the corner of 12th and Greene streets. San Juan County Sheriff Bruce Conrad, who is also a volunteer firefighter, arrived at the location to find Eagle’s Nest Leather immersed in flames.
Firefighters immediately responded to the scene and were able to put out the fire in about two hours.
The cause of the fire had yet to be determined as of Tuesday.
DeAnne Gallegos, a spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Management in San Juan County, said business owners are in limbo. The fire severely damaged Eagle’s Nest Leather, while K&C Traders sustained water and smoke damage.
“Eagle’s Nest is at a complete loss including merchandise and the building,” Gallegos said. “K&C Traders have not been able to get into their building to really assess what their product damage is.”
Henry Smith’s Gifts was also impacted by the fire. The shop’s inventory was damaged by smoke and remains closed.
The business owners have not received any information about the fire and its cause.
Conrad said he has ruled out arson.
“Once it’s decided that it’s not arson, it gets turned over to the insurance investigators and it will be in their world for some time, I imagine,” he said.
Each of the businesses have insurance investigators looking into the matter.
The community is in the process of starting a fundraiser for the affected businesses.
Gallegos said nothing has been finalized about the fundraiser, but more information about the event and how people can help will be available at a later time.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
