COLORADO CO. RANCH HOME DESTROYED AFTER SUNDAY NIGHT FIRE

  

A Colorado County home is a total loss after a devastating fire Sunday evening that required the assistance of numerous fire departments and agencies.

Sunday afternoon, around 4:30 p.m., the Columbus Fire Department responded to a large structure fire on Highway 71 eastbound near Richter Road, northwest of Columbus.  According to First Assistant Fire Chief Richard LaCourse, units arrived to find a 12,600 square foot ranch home ablaze.

Firefighters from the Eagle Lake, Weimar, Frelsburg, Bernardo, Garwood, La Grange, Ellinger, and New Ulm Fire Departments all responded to assist, along with the Colorado County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado County EMS, the Colorado County Office of Emergency Management, and San Bernard Electric Cooperative.

Firefighters worked until shortly after midnight to extinguish the blaze, which burned down through the attic and caused the structure to slowly collapse.  Units returned this (Monday) morning to extinguish any remaining hot spots.

No one was injured, but the home and its contents, valued at roughly $3.3 million, were deemed a total loss.

The cause of the fire, according to LaCourse, is believed to have been an unattended chimney fire.