A violent fire south of Cortez on Thursday evening destroyed a shop and nearly burned down a residence.

An unattended burn pile that got out of control in windy conditions sparked dry grass, then quickly spread to a wood pile and the shop, said Cortez Fire Protection District Chief Jeff Vandevoorde.

Vandevoorde was heading home for the day about 5 p.m. when he responded to an area of heavy black smoke at 6679 U.S. Highway 160, south of County Road G.

“There was fire everywhere, and explosions were coming from the shop from gasoline cans, ammunition and tires,” Vandevoorde said.

Cortez fire crews arrived in five minutes of the emergency call and quickly doused the grass fire and the corner of a residence that had begun to burn, saving the home. A nearby shed was also saved. There were no injuries, but the shop and Ford Bronco inside were a total loss.

The grass fire also approached a neighbor’s home, singeing their fence, but it was put out by fire crews in time.

The fire began when property owner Gary Herra was burning refuse in a hole. When he went inside to call dispatch about the burn, the wind pushed the fire into some dry grass, and it quickly spread.

“Dispatch should, of course, be called in advance,” Vandevoorde said.

There were no burning restrictions Thursday, but controlled burns should not be started in windy conditions or left unattended without a ready water source, he said.

Fire crews and equipment from Cortez, Mancos, Dolores, Lewis and Towaoc responded to the fire, which was extinguished by 8 p.m.

“It could have been worse. Nobody got hurt, and we had a lot of help from our mutual aid neighbors,” Vandevoorde said.

The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the fire. No citations were issued.

jmimiaga@the-journal.com