A fire destroyed a trailer home and four cars on East Sunset Drive in Mancos early Wednesday morning, leaving the property in ruins but causing no injuries.
Mancos Fire Department Capt. Wyatt Jones said his team arrived at 6:49 a.m. after being dispatched about 20 minutes earlier.
“The structure was fully engulfed when we arrived on scene,” Jones said. Firefighters worked to protect neighboring homes and stop the fire from spreading, he said.
Jones said the three, possibly four, occupants of the home were uninjured after being checked by a Southwest Memorial Hospital ambulance. Mancos Marshal Justen Goodall made sure the residents had a warm, safe place to stay, Jones said.
The fire’s cause is still under investigation, he said.
Flames spread to four cars parked near the home, burning them completely, Jones said.
Landen DeMars, who lives with his mother and younger brother a few houses down, said he woke up sometime after 6 a.m. to the sound of multiple explosions, likely caused by the combusted gas tanks of the four cars, he believed.
DeMars said he went outside to see the flames, quickly informed a next-door neighbor of the approaching fire and then went inside to grab his phone to take photos.
“I was a little scared,” he said. “About eight years ago we had a fire next to my house.”
By about 8:20 a.m., the scene had been secured, with about 15 firefighters still dousing flames. Cortez Fire Protection responders also helped fight the fire.
Other officials were present, including Mancos Marshal Justen Goodall and Montezuma County Emergency Manager Jim Spratlen. Personnel from Atmos Energy and Empire Electric arrived to shut off utilities.
Neighbors stood in the cool morning air, watching firefighters put out smaller flames.
An active fire persisted in one vehicle, burning off the gas inside as a firefighter worked to extinguish it. Other firefighters removed the trailer’s scorched, caved-in roof to reach flames underneath.
“I’m glad that everyone’s safe,” said a neighbor who asked to remain anonymous out of sensitivity to the residents of the burned home.
“Waking up this morning and seeing a tragedy,” she said, tears in her eyes.
