The owner of a house north of Durango-La Plata County Airport said a propane explosion in his barbecue grill led to a fire Saturday night that destroyed his home.
“I had just got back from a long motorcycle ride to Amarillo, out in the sun and the wind, and I just wanted to relax and have a couple of burgers, when all of a sudden we heard a big bang,” said Michael “Stretch” Greer, owner of the house.
Greer said he and his girlfriend, Larita Carter, were able to escape the house unharmed. His two dogs also escaped unharmed.
However, his cat, Opal, wasn’t discovered until late Saturday buried in a couch in the house that survived with only smoke and water damage.
“She’s a rescue kitten, and this is the only house she’s known. I can’t keep her out of the house, now. She climbs in through open windows,” he said.
Greer said he has a detached garage with electricity where he’s set up a cot. In addition, friends have offered to provide him with campers to live in on the property. He also said he might spend a few nights at his girlfriend’s house.
Carter has set up a GoFundMe page to help Greer. The goal is $10,000, and as of Monday afternoon, the page had raised $4,140.
The Upper Pine River Fire Protection District continues an investigation.
Upper Pine Deputy Chief Roy Vreeland said he expected to complete an investigation by the end of the day Monday.
Vreeland has taken witness accounts of the fire’s start. However, he added, “Until the investigation is complete, I don’t want to speculate about the cause.”
The fire started on the house’s exterior, he said.
When firefighters arrived, flames had spread to two rooms and the attic.
The emergency call came in about 8:35 p.m. from occupants of the house, he said.
Vreeland said some contents of the house are salvageable, but the structure is a complete loss.
Upper Pine responded with a number of resources and firefighters. Vreeland said he did not yet have the incident report to detail all of the department’s resources and firefighters on scene.
“There were a lot of resources, which is normal on a structure fire,” he said.
Durango Fire Protection District assisted. Resources from DFPD included a water tanker and an engine.
parmijo@durangoherald.com