SPRINGFIELD, Colo.—A faulty duct from a wood-burning stove caused a fire that killed three members of a family and destroyed their home and restaurant, investigators said Tuesday.
The fire broke out early Friday while the restaurant was closed and killed Rocky Michael Saldana, 56, his wife, Pamela, 47, and their 17-year-old son, Jazz.
Pamela Saldana’s mother, 71-year-old Sharon Jones, escaped the early morning blaze without serious injury.
The four lived in a home adjacent to the Hometown Burrito restaurant, which Michael and Pamela Saldana owned.
Janice Means, news editor of the town’s newspaper, the Plainsman Herald, said more than 425 people, including family, friends, high school students, police and firefighters, attended a memorial service Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities said they believe embers or other material from a wood fire escaped from gaps in a duct that ran through the attic of the home and ignited insulation.
Authorities said the home had a smoke detector but they don’t know if it was working.
Riley Frazee of the Baca County Division of Emergency Management said the home had four wood-burning stoves for heat. The stove that caused the fire had been in the residence since it was constructed, he said.
“The ductwork was old,” Frazee said, adding that it was rusted and had holes in places.
The Hometown Burrito was a popular spot in the farming and ranching town of about 1,400 people in the southeast corner of Colorado.
The Saldanas also owned the town’s only movie theater, the Capitol Theater, which reopened this summer.
