Colorado mountain home destroyed in fire, Steamboat Springs Fire Department says

A home was completely destroyed, aside from its garage, in a remote area of one Colorado mountain town, requiring fire crews to bring in their own water to extinguish the blaze. Thankfully, no one was injured in the fire, and a cat was able to escape the home safely.

The fire broke out around 1 p.m. Sunday about 3 miles northwest of Steamboat Springs. When fire crews arrived at the home, it was almost entirely engulfed in flames and fire crews started a defensive operation, Steamboat Springs Fire Chief Chuck Cerasoli said.

"We spent two or three hours there fighting the fire, trying to save what we could," he said. "We ended up stopping it just before it took the garage, but overall, I would say that the house was ultimately a total loss."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but preliminary findings lead investigators to believe the fire started inside a chicken coop on the deck of the home.

Overall, 16 firefighters responded from the Steamboat Springs Fire Department, West Routt Fire Protection District, and Oak Creek Fire Protection District while several others were on standby at the station.

Cerasoli is urging people to monitor outdoor appliances, especially if on or near wooden decks.

"It's important for everyone to keep an eye on what kind of appliances are plugged in and this time of year, if you have heat lamps or heaters operating, that we make sure we continue to check on them and monitor them and that they're performing to our specifications."