Fire totals home in Trail's Gulch
By Kyra Hoggan
Saturday night saw a single-family home in the Gulch essentially gutted by fire, according to regional fire chief Terry Martin.
He said the call came in 1:03 a.m. Dec. 29, after the residents of the rental home at 816 Rossland Ave. noticed smoke coming up from the stairwell.
“They went and checked, and saw flames around the dryer,” he said, adding the home is directly across the street from the firehall. One occupant started banging on the firehall door while the other called 9-1-1. Company 2 of Warfield and Company 4 of Trail responded almost immediately, but Martin said the fire was unfortunately already well under way.
“There’s an open air vent right above the dryer, and a couch right above the vent,” he said. “The couch caught fire and it all went very quickly from there.”
Martin estimates roughly $200,000 worth of damages, with the living room gutted and rooms unaffected by actual flames sustaining heavy damage from heat and smoke.
“The two occupants got out and no one was injured, but they pretty well lost everything,” he said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Martin said the house remains cordoned off for safety and to secure the building.
“We also have a program set up with the Red Cross, for them to help people who are coping with (the aftermath of) a fire,” he added.
This incident represented the only significant fire in Trail over the holiday season.
