Investigators find body in Montezuma fire debris

SUMMIT COUNTY — The remains of a deceased male were uncovered by investigators in the debris of a four-bedroom family home that burned Tuesday night just east of Montezuma.

According to authorities, Summit resident Dan Campbell, who owns the home, is still unaccounted for. They have made no connection between the remains and Campbell at this time.

Local authorities are now waiting for positive identification on the body as they prepare to hand the investigation over to the insurance company.

“Looking back on our records this is the first fire-related fatality we’ve had in Summit County,” said Brandon Williams with Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue. “Having to approach a site where there was a fatality was a first for us.”

According to Williams, the investigation into what caused the fire will still take a while and fire authorities have hung tarps over the site to allow investigators to continue sorting through debris.

“The weather can complicate things in the investigation” said Williams, referring to the spring storm that left several inches of snow on the ground on Thursday.

Tuesday night, Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue quickly responded to 6895 Montezuma Rd. after one of the residents called 911 upon returning home. According to the fire department, there was heavy smoke and flames leaping from the house.

“Investigators are now working to eliminate probable cause, and so far there is no direct evidence as to what started the fire,” said Lake Dillon Fire Chief Dave Parmley.

Although initial fire crews arrived approximately 15 minutes after they received the call, the building was already partially caved in when they arrived and completely collapsed within a half-hour.

According to Parmley, 30,000 gallons of water from the Montezuma hydrant system were utilized in fighting the blaze. Due to the remoteness of the fire’s location fire crews responded with multiple engines equipped with portable water tanks.

“There were a lot of challenges with this incident and I think the firefighters really rose to the occasion,” said Parmley. “All the different agencies really worked well together and everyone did a very good job under challenging conditions.”

Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue got assistance on the scene from Red, White & Blue Fire District, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Ambulance, and Summit County Road and Bridge.

<i>Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.</i>