Historic Breck house damaged in fire

BRECKENRIDGE — A seven-bedroom rental property known as the “Zeppelin House” was partially destroyed after a fire ripped through the three-story building late Monday night. More than 20 firefighter from Red, White & Blue Fire Protection and Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue battled the blaze at the peak 8 house after the caretaker, Julie Tubbesing, called about 10:30 p.m. to report smoke coming from the main house. “I turned off my light, and from the glow of the TV I could see smoke filling up the room,” said Tubbesing, who lives in an attached apartment. “Then I came out and went through the front door, and tons of smoke was spilling out.” Six-foot flames flared from the back side of the house, and the fire quickly moved through the first floor of the home as firefighters attempted to enter the front door with water hoses. “There was heavy fire involvement of the crawl space on the first floor,” Fire Marshall Jay Nelson said, adding that the home did not have a monitored smoke detector or sprinkler system. Firefighters were able to contain the fire shortly after midnight, but much of the 4,200-square-foot home sustained significant fire and smoke damage. Built in 1978, the house was designed by Denver-based developer Mickey Zeppelin, whose other projects include the GreenHouse condominiums in Cherry Creek and Taxi, and urban village in downtown Denver. Zeppelin house included a hot-tub room with dual stained-glass doors taken from an old Denver saloon, a living room with a carved-stone fireplace mantle from the mansion of an early Denver newspaper publisher, a cedar-paneled rec room and a window-walled atrium. The house contained a large collection of Western antiques and art, which made it a popular rental choice for vacationers looking for a unique lodging experience close to Breckenridge Ski Resort. During the ski season, the home rents for $550 per night. New renters were scheduled to check into the house on Monday afternoon, but they never showed up, according to Tubbesing. No one was in the home at the time of the fire. Tubbesing also said she heard a noise in the main house some thirty minutes before she noticed the smoke, but added that she never entered the main house to see what it was. “The cause of the fire is still under investigation,” Nelson said, “although it appears to be accidental at this time.” Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.