No one was injured Saturday evening in a rural Boulder house fire that displaced the homeowners and generated a large mutual aid response from local and nearby agencies.
The cause of the fire, which started in a closet and caused “extensive” damage to the home’s second floor, was still under investigation Monday evening, said Boulder-Bull Mountain volunteer firefighter Steve Carey.
Firefighters were first dispatched to the house on Upper Valley Road near Foothill Road at 6:37 p.m., Carey said. Those first to arrive, including a firefighter that lives nearby, saw flames “licking through the roof” and through a door, he said.
People and equipment from numerous agencies were summoned to the scene. Carey said the volunteer fire departments of Boulder-Bull Mountain, Basin, Jefferson City, Clancy and Montana City all responded. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies controlled traffic, a Boulder Police officer brought food and a unit from Eagle Ambulance “ made sure all firefighters were staying healthy,” Carey said.
Jefferson County Department of Emergency Services and the American Red Cross helped the homeowners arrange for a place to stay, he said.
As often happens in rural firefighting, more than emergency agencies responded. Carey said a truck from the Jefferson County Road Department sanded the slick road so more people and equipment could access the scene, and J&D Towing was called to pull a water tender out of the even slicker driveway.
Carey also praised Tim McKendrick and his family for bringing “a large bucket of coffee and food for the crew.”
Following the fire, which he described in a Facebook post as an “all hands on deck” situation, Carey offered steps rural homeowners can take to make it easier and safer for first responders.
“When purchasing or building in a remote area, please consider having a large enough driveway and flat parking area to handle several fire trucks,” he wrote. “Also work to keep your roads as cleared as possible, [for] the more traction we have, the more likely we are to provide you with reliable service. Even if it’s a medical emergency, the ambulance needs a clear driveway and a large area to turn around safely.”
Carey also encouraged people that “feel like you are able-bodied or able to help roll up hose or hold a sign to direct traffic” to attend the fire department’s monthly meetings at 7 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays at the station at the corner of West Second Avenue and North Washington Street in Boulder.
People not wishing to serve on the department can also help by making a tax-deductible donation, he said.
