A garage west of Erie burned to the ground Sunday night heightening fears that the Mountain View Protection District in Longmont may not be able to handle major fires in the fast-growing district.
Fire district officials said they lack the proper staffing to get to the unattached garage in time to save it.
An adjoining greenhouse also was damaged in the blaze, said fire district spokesman Jesse Hodgson.
“We are doing the best job we possibly can with the resources we have allocated to us, but sometimes that’s not enough,” he said.
The first crew on the scene included a battalion chief who lived near the blaze and a two-person ambulance from Erie equipped with a 30-gallon water tank that was inadequate.
The first fully equipped engine to arrive came from nearby Lafayette, 10 minutes after the initial call, Hodgson said.
The district asked voters this month for a tax increase to add 18 firefighters, but it was rejected by a 2-to-1 ratio.
Voters also turned down a bond proposal to build two fire stations to better protect thousands of new residents.
The 225-square-mile district has seen its population double since 1993 to 50,000.
Sunday’s fire was the first sign that response times will lag since the district’s defeat at the polls, Hodgson said.
“This is a wakeup call, and we need the support of our citizens to hire more career firefighters and bring on more volunteers,” Hodgson said.
Otherwise, he said, the district will have to rely more on its neighbors for help.
“And that takes time, sometimes more than we have,” Hodgson said.
Former Mountain View volunteer Chris Robillard, who campaigned against the two proposals, said the fault lies squarely with the district’s managers, who, he says, ran off many qualified volunteers.
“Volunteers weren’t motivated to stick around because all they would be doing is serving the paid staff,” Robillard said.
“This situation is just going to get worse.”
The fire started after the son of the home’s owner tried to get rid of fuel that had leaked in and around the garage by lighting it on fire, Hodgson said.
He tried putting it out with a garden hose.
But the water only served as an accelerant and pushed the flames farther into the structure, said Hodgson.
The fire caused an estimated $45,000 in damage, but no serious injuries were reported.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or at mwhaley@denverpost.com.
