Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue on Sunday afternoon controlled a house fire that ended in a total loss of property on Routt County Road 44, according to Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue Chief Chuck Cerasoli.

At around 1:08 p.m. Sunday, neighbors saw flames on the deck outside the home at 28711 Whitetail Lane and called the tenants in the lower level of the home, said Cerasoli. 

Both tenants safely evacuated the home with one cat and two dogs. No one was injured in the fire, according to Cerasoli.

Homeowners Terry and Kathy Stokes, who have been residents of Steamboat for 45 years, were not home at the time of the fire.

“Everybody is safe. That’s the most important thing,” said Kathy. “When I think about it and how awful it is, I also realize how blessed we are.”

The couple were in Colorado Springs visiting friends at the time of the fire, said Kathy.

“It was a weird ride home,” she added.

According to Cerasoli, Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue arrived on the scene at 1:16 p.m. and worked on controlling the fire for about four hours. 

David Winters/Courtesy video

Cerasoli added that Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue brought two engines, two water tenders, one ambulance and five crew members, including a chief fire officer, to the scene.

West Routt Fire Protection District and Oak Creek Fire Protection District also responded to the fire, bringing one water tender and one fire engine.

“The home was in an area that doesn’t have any fire hydrants, so there’s no water system,” said Cerasoli. “We basically had to bring up our own water.”

Fire crews set up a water system by using two water tenders to shuttle water from a fire hydrant on Airport Drive and used about 27,000 gallons of water to put out the fire, Cerasoli said.

By the time the fire was put out, the home was fully destroyed, with only the garage left intact. 

“It was kind of terrifying, really,” said David Winters, a neighbor of the home who witnessed the fire. “The wind was blowing away from our house, so we weren’t too concerned. But I was walking around, patrolling with my dinky little fire extinguisher, looking for any embers that might come over.”

A small barn structure, a shed and an RV on the property were not damaged in the fire, said Cerasoli.

The two-story home sits on about 5 acres of land and was built in 1983, according to the Routt County Assessor’s Office website.

According to Cerasoli, eyewitnesses noted that flames were initially seen on the deck outside of the home, near a chicken coop. It is unclear if there were chickens in the coop at the time of the fire.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Cerasoli added that a heat lamp in the chicken coop could have started the fire, but said the cause may never be officially determined. 

The structure fire was the second major house fire in Routt County in the last month, but Cerasoli said this isn’t unusual.

“Sometimes we go longer periods without having a house fire, then we’ll get two or three within close proximity,” said Cerasoli. “It all depends on the kind of day and what’s going on.”

Cerasoli added that Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue has seen chicken coop heaters cause fires in the past, and encourages homeowners to make sure heaters are wired properly and placed safely.

“It was amazing to see something burning that hot,” added Winters. “That’s the biggest fire I’ve ever witnessed, and certainly the biggest house fire I’ve ever seen up close. It was pretty scary.”

“We are so fortunate to live in this community where everyone rallies together to help each other,” said Kathy. “It is an amazing and humbling experience. We have been on the other side of that many times, helping others when things happen. But when it happens to you, it’s surreal. It’s just amazing, and so is this community.”

To support the Stokes family, visit GoFundMe.com/f/Stokes-Family-Fire-Relief-Fund?lang=en_US.