The cause of a recent fire at the Vallecito Marina office building remains undetermined.
Upper Pine River Fire Protection Deputy Chief Greg French said the fire remains under investigation, but he wouldn’t rule out lightning as a cause, similar to several other fires that occurred Sunday in the Vallecito area.
“We’re trying to look at some video footage of the incident … but it did occur during the storm,” he said.
French said Vallectio Marina was without power Sunday night and Monday morning, so the fire department lent a power generator to Vallecito Marina so that it could resume business.
A representative with Vallectio Marina told The Durango Herald the establishment’s phones and electricity were back up by 11 a.m. Monday, but it was working to restore its Wi-Fi and credit card payment system ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
When fire officials arrived, they found smoke coming from the building’s eaves, which are the part of the roof that overhangs the exterior walls, according to French.
French said the fire happened inside the building structure in the marina’s boating dock area, but it was confined to that structure. Fire officials were called to the fire just before 8:15 p.m. and extinguished it within 10 minutes.
“We had a lot of units in the area responding to the calls at that time,” he said.
Between 6 and 10 p.m. on Sunday, fire officials were hit with 10 calls, including at least three lightning strike-related fires and the marina fire.
Life jackets inside the marina building structure were damaged in the fire, and the walls and ceiling were damaged, French said.
“I’d say probably 40% of the interior of the structure sustained some kind of heat or smoke damage,” he said.
He also said that although the structure will need some reconstruction, there was no apparent permanent damage.
“The structural integrity wasn’t compromised,” he said.
French said the building looked like a “normal operating office” and did not have a cluttered space that might have contributed to the fire.
The fire department is also accepting life jacket donations for the Vallecito Marina. French said donations can be dropped off at the fire department’s headquarters, 515 Sower Drive in Bayfield, or at the marina, which is at 14772 County Road 501 in Vallecito.
“We’re just trying to help them out,” French said. “It’s a busy time of year for them. Fourth of July weekend, it’s probably one of the worst times in their operating season that they could have a fire and sustain some damage.”
mhollinshead@durangoherald.com
