The Hotchkiss Volunteer Fire Dept. was paged to a residential fire at 382 Duke Hill Drive Friday, Jan. 22, at approximately 12:59 a.m. A young mother and two small children were awakened by smoke alarms alerting them to a fire in their rental home of one week.

The mother was able to evacuate with her children and call 911.

Firefighters arrived to find a fire that started in the wall behind an improperly installed wood stove. The fire had moved into the attic and had quickly filled the home with smoke. An attack team made entry and began to extinguish the fire. Fire damage is estimated at five percent of the home. The home suffered smoke damage but water damage was contained to the area of the fire. North Fork Ambulance checked the family and reported no injuries. The family has been referred to the American Red Cross for assistance.

Eleven hundred feet of hose was laid during the fire. Firefighters were on scene until approximately 5 a.m. This is the first residential fire in 37 months in the Hotchkiss Fire District. Chief Doug Fritz believes the family owes their lives to the smoke alarms. “A few more minutes and they likely wouldn’t have woken up in time to escape,” said Fritz.

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