Two cabins were destroyed by a fire Tuesday afternoon near the Aspen Trails subdivision northeast of Durango, a fire that spread into the surrounding wildlands.
The fire was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. near the 14000 block of Florida Road (County Road 240), about 12 miles northeast of Durango.
The Upper Pine River Fire Protection District posted to Facebook late Tuesday there is a line around the fire and it will take about two days to fully put out the blaze.
The fire started at the bottom of a hill on the north side of Florida Road and destroyed two cabins, said La Plata County Emergency Manager Butch Knowlton. The fire spread into nearby trees; fire engines and water tankers from at least three agencies worked to keep flames from growing up the hillside, he said.
About half a dozen property owners uphill from the fire were notified of the potential danger. Some were put on a pre-evacuation notice.
The Upper Pine River Fire Protection District said fortunately the landowner was part of a “Ready Set Go Grant” from the International Association of Fire Chiefs last year, which allowed fire crews to mitigate heavily behind the cabin.
“Otherwise, we’d be fighting a campaign fire in Aspen Trails tonight,” the district posted.
Smoke is expected to be in the area Wednesday and a patrol truck is stationed overnight at the site. Durango Fire Protection District, Los Pinos Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service assisted Upper Pine Fire Protection District in battling the blaze.
shane@durangoherald.com
