EPA more confident with Standard Mine

By Adam Broderick

After the “catastrophe” last week near Silverton, Colo., when roughly three million gallons of toxic water ran into the Animas River, the question arose whether something similar could happen here in the Upper East River Valley. According to local environmental leaders, the answer is, possibly.

While Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials working on the old Standard Mine this summer say such an event isn’t likely, Alli Melton of High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) says there is no guarantee that Coal Creek is completely safe from acid mine drainage.

“As headwaters communities, this three million gallon spill is a strong reminder that we’re all downstream,” Melton said.

Regional project manager for the EPA on the Standard Mine Project Christina Progess said that the EPA is very concerned about what’s happened at the Gold King Mine and that the management team at the Standard Mine on Mt. Emmons near Crested Butte has plans in place to help reduce the likelihood of a similar event happening there.

The Animas River is a source for Durango’s drinking water and a hub for recreation in the area. Last Wednesday, August 5, a cleanup team for the EPA accidentally released nearly three million gallons of water contaminated with heavy metals including arsenic, lead, iron, zinc, copper and mercury into the Animas River near the town of Silverton.

Last Sunday, Durango County and La Plata County declared a state of emergency. Officials have been warning residents, farmers and outdoor recreationists to avoid contact with the water.

According to EPA mining engineer Jim Hanley, who is working on the Standard Mine project, “On August 5, 2015, EPA was conducting an investigation of the Gold King Mine. The intent of the investigation was to create access to the mine, assess ongoing water releases from the mine to treat mine water, and assess the feasibility of further mine remediation. The plan was to excavate the loose material that had collapsed into the caved mine entry back to the timbering. During the excavation, the loose material gave way, opening the adit [mine tunnel] and spilling the water stored behind the collapsed material into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River.”

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As of Monday afternoon, the wastewater had reached the San Juan River in New Mexico. The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area had issued a statement saying, “Most river sediments will settle out of the water when the river current slows at Lake Powell.”

As for how long it will take for water closest to the spill site to be safe again, officials say that’s hard to determine because data is always changing as the contaminants make their way through the water. Both Governor Hickenlooper and an EPA administrator visited Durango this week to meet with local officials and survey the cleanup progress, and Hickenlooper issued $500,000 to help businesses and towns directly affected by the spill.

On a local level, Alli Melton of High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) told the Crested Butte News this accident demonstrates how challenging it is to clean
up the legacy of acid mine drainage.

“Importantly, it’s not the EPA’s fault alone. Many are just as responsible,” Melton said of the Animas spill. “What we do or fail to do affects millions of people and animals and hundreds of local communities, not just ourselves.

“Over the years, we’ve seen how complicated these efforts often are when working in headwaters, involving complex hydrology between mine workings, ground water, and surface water, as well as seeps and springs, among other things,” Melton continued. “Most unfortunately, it’s the communities and taxpayers that are stuck with the legacy of contamination long after the mining has died out and still in 2015 with no silver bullet to remedy the contamination.”

Melton said although Crested Butte also has a legacy of acid mine drainage, here much of it is being treated by a water treatment plant operated and owned by U.S. Energy. However, no bond has been imposed on the plant, which would be a problem should U.S. Energy ever put operations on hold.

According to Melton, “Without a bond, we have no guarantee that the plant will continue to run without interruption, even though we rely on its continued operation to prevent Coal Creek from having acid mine drainage discharged directly into it.”

Steve Glazer, president of the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition board of directors, noted that in the Gold King Mine, the bulkhead, or dam, had built up mine drainage pressure and failed, releasing the contaminated water.

Glazer said, ‘“In the Standard Mine, there is only juvenile water [current year’s snowmelt] that is contaminated in Level 2 before being discharged at Level 1. The bulkhead planned for installation in Level 1 will have a valve in it and its purpose is only intended to level out the seasonal hydraulic variations and not to build up storage with only minimal pressure behind it.”

Glazer wrote in an email that the water treatment plant (WTP) has a retention pond that can hold one to two days of draining water storage, plus an emergency retention pond that can hold multiple days of discharge. He said if the WTP were to stop operating, after the emergency storage capacity was exceeded, untreated acid mine drainage would contaminate Coal Creek, the Slate River and the East River below their confluences.

“The dilution from the Taylor might be enough to prevent toxic levels in Gunnison (or not). This would have to occur before EPA would step in and take over the WTP. In an emergency, the Town could extend its intake upstream to avoid receiving any contaminated surface overflow,” Glazer wrote.

At the request of the Red Lady Coalition and HCCA, the Crested Butte Town Council agreed at a meeting in late July to go on record that the town needs protection and state and federal agencies will be asked to impose a bond on the plant. A letter is being drafted and an update could be presented at next week’s council meeting.

Progess addressed several differences between the Gold King Mine and the Standard Mine in an email to the News. She said there is a much better understanding of the water levels inside the Standard Mine than at the Gold King Mine because the management team has been inside the Standard Mine and boreholes from the surface have been drilled into the old mine workings so the presence of contaminated water levels and any buildup in pressure can be measured.

Progess noted that the workings within the Standard Mine are not completely full of water.

“We are driving a new tunnel to intercept existing workings behind collapses within the lowest level of the mine,” Progess wrote, pointing out that work at the Standard Mine is proceeding cautiously to ensure contaminated water is contained.

Progess wrote, “We have precautions in place such as containment ponds to trap sediment and water as it flows from the workings, and will be treating this water as it comes out prior to discharging it to Elk Creek. We also have a communication plan set up with the Crested Butte water treatment plant whereby we will notify them if a major release of contaminated water were to occur as a result of our work at Standard. This will allow them to switch to an alternate drinking water source if necessary.”

Carol Worrall, director of public health in Gunnison County, said after seeing what happened to the Animas she also wondered if something similar could happen here. She believes there is a certain amount of “we have the purest water” mentality here in Crested Butte, but we might not be aware of particular metals. She guessed that nearly 70 percent of people in Gunnison County rely on private wells and most people, when testing their wells, test for bacteria. But for cases like these, water needs to be tested for heavy metals, which aren’t as easily detected.

“The responsibility for the private wells lies on the property owners,” Worrall said. “People tend to have their wells tested when they’re initially getting permits, but then go about their lives and don’t do further testing. Most people, when testing their wells, test for bacteria. But when you’re looking at mining, you’re looking at heavy metals.”

Worrall said when she read about the Animas spill, she thought the visuals were pretty shocking and had hopes that maybe the spill would help influence people here to test their own well water. She thinks it would be best for people to test their well water now and then, and if there were some later disturbance, conduct follow-up testing.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health website, there is no generic water test for everything, so each contaminant must be evaluated individually. However, if you’re buying or building a house and need to have a well tested, a standard test is available and testing supplies are free of charge. Call (303) 692-3048 for more information and to order water tests.

Bulkhead to be installed after winter

By Adam Broderick

Stakeholders with the Environmental Protection Agency presented county commissioners and the Crested Butte Town Council with an update on the Standard Mine cleanup project on Tuesday, August 4.

Water that flows through the Standard Mine, on the side of Mt. Emmons near Kebler Pass Road, percolates through the different levels of the mine and comes out the bottom level contaminated with heavy metals. It then flows into Elk Creek, and then into Coal Creek. The EPA developed a cleanup strategy in 2011 and is still in the first phase of cleanup.

Project manager Christina Progess explained that the EPA’s main goal is to reduce the amount of contaminated water coming out of the mine. In order to do that, they need to get back into the mine, but it is currently collapsed at the bottom level. The plan is to install a new tunnel that parallels the collapsed tunnel to provide access and then plug the tunnel to control water flow.

“This summer we’re looking at driving a tunnel adjacent to Level 1 and ultimately putting in a bulkhead—a.k.a. concrete plug,” Progess said. “There are several shafts that connect Level 3 to Level 1, so the water becomes more and more contaminated as it percolates through the mine. We want to route the water out of Level 3. There are three shafts in Level 3 that we’re looking at closing so the water doesn’t flow down into Levels 2 and 1.

 

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Progess continued. “It’s a short construction season at 11,000 feet. We’re going to work hopefully through October to get this work done. Once we have rehabilitated the workings, the next step would be to design the bulkhead this winter so that we’re prepared to install it next spring. That would close up the first phase of cleanup.”

According to Progess, the next phase would be conducted in another three to five years to determine if additional water treatment is necessary. If so, the EPA would enter into a second cleanup phase, which would be some sort of passive bioreactor treatment.

Progess said they’ve had really good success with that treatment technology during small-scale trials at the mine site, removing 95 percent to 98 percent of metals. They’re just waiting to see how effective the first phase strategy below ground turns out to be.

“We hope to get as much of this phase done before winter forces us to stop,” Progess said.

Starting with letters

by Mark Reaman

The town of Crested Butte along with Gunnison County will send letters to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Division and the U.S. Forest Service asking them to demand U.S. Energy provide a financial guarantee to ensure that the water treatment plant on Mt. Emmons will continue to operate if something happens to the company.

U.S. Energy, the mining company that owns the molybdenum mineral rights beneath Mt. Emmons, has seen a recent plummeting of its stock price. Some analysts are concerned about the financial health of the company. This has the town, High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) and the Red Lady Coalition (RLC) all worried about what would happen to the plant if U.S. Energy defaulted and went bankrupt or was simply not able to fund the $1.8 million it takes every year to operate the water treatment plant.

At a Town Council work session and meeting on Monday, July 20 town attorney John Belkin provided the council with a history of recent actions about the matter. He said an adiministrative judge ruled that the state, which issues the permit for the plant, has the authority to require surety that the plant would operate if the company walked away for some reason. The town in the past had suggested a $2 million bond would be needed. At the time of that ruling however, the court indicated there seemed no reason to require such a financial bond.

Things have changed significantly in the eyes of the town, the county, HCCA and the RLC, so they want to make the state aware of the potential danger. Belkin is recommending a similar letter be sent to the Forest Service since the plant sits on USFS property.

 

The council also wanted a clear answer on what entity would be responsible for running the plant if U.S. Energy did indeed walk away. Belkin said that wasn’t clear but anticipated it would be up to the state to take control since the state is the permitting agency.

“The obligation of who would step in should be made clear,” said councilman Skip Berkshire. “But we need to be careful not to present ourselves as willing to step in and fix it. Everyone else would back away and we can’t afford it at all.”

“The financial information on the company doesn’t indicate that the abandonment of the plant is probable,” cautioned mayor Aaron Huckstep. “But circumstances are changing.”

“We should know who to call if it happens,” said councilman Jim Schmidt.

“Even by just asking the question, it might put it in the mind of the state that a bond might be a good idea,” said Berkshire.

Huckstep said following up the letter with face-to-face meetings with state and federal officials might be prudent.

“I’d suggest we start with the letters and see how it goes,” said Berkshire. “We don’t want to send the wrong message via engagement and give the impression we’d step in. It seems that maybe HCCA or the RLC could participate as well—entities outside the government.”

“I see if the government follows up after a letter that the message is, the community is expressing great concern,” said councilman Roland Mason.

Belkin said it would be proper to start to communicate concerns with the state and federal staff people and escalate to higher officials if the pressure is needed.

“Another point to mention in the letters is the age of the technology in the plant,” suggested Berkshire. “It won’t last forever and probably needs an upgrade.”

Councilman Glenn Michel suggested the town of Mt. Crested Butte should be approached to see if it would be willing to sign the letters as well. The staff said they would talk to town manager Joe Fitzpatrick and ask for participation but did not want to slow down the process of getting the letters out.

HCCA public lands director Alli Melton was at the meeting and agreed with the approach being taken by the council to address the shifting situation.

Council to take in-depth look at situation July 20

by Mark Reaman

The Crested Butte Town Council will discuss the evolving Mt. Emmons molybdenum mine and water treatment plant situation at its next council meeting, July 20.

Councilman Shaun Matusewicz wants to focus on a request from the Red Lady Coalition (RLC) and High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) to ask state and federal agencies to impose a bond on the plant in case the mining company controlling the proposed mine, U.S. Energy, folds.

But Crested Butte mayor Aaron Huckstep wants the council discussion to be much more broad and look at potential unfolding opportunities to take control of the mineral rights and subsequent land use possibilities.

Town attorney John Belkin said he and the town staff would put together a comprehensive history of talks and negotiations held over the years between the town and U.S. Energy in light of a fading company.

RLC chairman Bill Ronai gave the council some background on recent developments with the company. He said the stock had gone to 47 cents from $4 a share in less than a year, giving it a market cap of just $13.1 million. He said the price of molybdenum sat at about $6 a pound and Thompson Creek, a one-time partner with U.S. Energy with a heavy moly background, was mothballing two of its major molybdenum mines. The cost of running the water treatment plant on Coal Creek and holding the mineral rights was costing U.S. Energy millions of dollars every year.

HCCA public lands director Ali Melton said all that was adding up to potential trouble. “This information emphasizes something we have pushed for a long time and that’s that we need the water treatment plant to be bonded,” she said. “That helps protect the community. I would ask the council to let the three primary agencies know of the situation and put it on record that you want a bond that’s big enough to operate the plant if something happens to the company.”

Melton said the Colorado Water Quality Control Division, the state Mine Reclamation Board and the U.S. Forest Service all “have some skin in the game and could demand a bond. HCCA strongly encourages the town to draft a letter and put it on the record that the town needs protection.”

Huckstep asked the staff to come up with a town-specific analysis for the next council meeting.

Ronai said an operating bond was not the only concern. He said given that the plant was more than 30 years old, “It will need some serious maintenance sooner rather than later. So an endowment fund to cover the $1.8 million annual operating costs on top of some maintenance and capital improvements money is likely needed.”

Belkin promised the council would receive a thorough background memo of previous discussions.

It is hot and it is crowded in Crested Butte and estimates are now that between 15,000 and 20,000 people will be on Elk Avenue Saturday morning for the Fourth of July parade. All of July will carry the double-edged sword of busyness.
That was prompting me to write a piece on the need for patience by everyone out there and ask the question: Is more always better? Look for that in another paper in July.

Instead I was emailed a pretty in-depth analysis that was posted on the financial website SeekingAlpha. The article focused on U.S. Energy, the company that owns the mining rights to the molybdenum beneath Red Lady, the mountain that overlooks the town of Crested Butte to the west. The idea of a moly mine has always been perceived as a major threat in this community. Hard rock mining and tourism are not naturally compatible.
A little over a year ago, U.S. Energy stock was worth more than $4. This week it dipped below 50 cents. You don’t have to be a financial guru to know that is not good for the company. A big reason the stock has plummeted is that it is a relatively small company that pivoted toward oil and gas production. They got slammed hard when energy prices started falling. They have not recovered.

Last week, the Riverton, Wyo. company let stockholders know that it cut its workforce by 15 percent. Those remaining took a cut in salary. “All officers and directors of the Company have agreed to take a 20 percent cut in salaries and fees, respectively,” the announcement stated. “The total compensation savings is in excess of $600,000 on an annualized basis… We believe that cutting our general and administrative costs is a prudent business decision in light of the current price of oil. We will also continue to evaluate other cost-saving measures going forward, which should have meaningful impact to our bottom line,” said Keith Larsen, CEO of the company. “These measures are part of our forward looking plan that will allow us to continue to participate in our ongoing drilling programs…”

Larsen and his company seem to have an emotional attachment to the moly deposit in Mt. Emmons. Despite the costs of carrying a site with no production, the boys just don’t want to let it go.
Based on everything I’ve read, I do not believe in an immediate threat of a molybdenum mine in the near future. The high cost and the intense regulation it would take to get a mine up and running is prohibitive in this country unless the price of moly shot up significantly. It currently sits just above $6 a pound. There is a fair amount of molybdenum all over the world, so it is not a rare mineral. In my opinion, it would not be worth a high mortgage for the community to try to say, buy the mine for tens of millions of dollars. But it might be worth trying to help U.S. Energy and figure out a way to get a liability off their books while at the same time eliminating a cloud that hangs over Elk Avenue.

The big issue is that U.S. Energy is legally required to operate a water treatment plant on Coal Creek that treats the water running through Crested Butte. Before the treatment plant was constructed, the creek ran orange. There are old mines up there and believe it or not, the mining companies didn’t always restore the environment to the way it was before a mine.
In doing more research after the SeekingAlpha article, I found some analysts believe the company can weather this storm for at least a while longer. U.S. Energy has operations with proven oil reserves and the upcoming financial quarters should show they could hang in there as the price of oil rises.

But…given this latest red flag, it might be time to once again focus on a contingency plan. Those that monitor the situation—the Red Lady Coalition, the High Country Conservation Advocates and the town of Crested Butte—should huddle up and determine if there is opportunity. Could they finally convince the U.S. Energy boys that this mine is indeed a long-term liability and it might be worthwhile to find a way to hand it over, with some operating cash, to this community? Is there a way that U.S. Energy can focus on what should be its money-making ventures in the Bakken oil shale fields? Is there a way the community could control its destiny in terms of the potential mine by taking a liability off the hands of U.S. Energy and getting some financial assistance to keep the water clear? Is the stock so cheap, the “community” could buy the company and sell a few lots to pay for it and the treatment facility expense? I don’t know. But given the timing of this financial shake-up with the company, it might be time to again look into it.
That water treatment plant needs to be protected. At the very least, the community watchdogs should have some sort of plan on how to keep the water treatment plant going if U.S. Energy does fold. That responsibility would ultimately fall either to the state or the feds but that minimum contingency plan should be in place sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, it is hot and busy and looks like it will be that way for a while. Have a wonderful Fourth everyone—and stay patient out there.

—Mark Reaman

Huck is back from Boston

By Mark Reaman

Crested Butte mayor Aaron Huckstep got out of school this weekend and is back in town, armed with knowledge and stories.

Huckstep took part in an executive education class at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, “Senior Executives in State and Local Government,” June 1-19.

The three-week class included 46 people, including six international students. It was a heavy-duty classroom structure with all-day classes taught by Harvard professors. Saturdays were spent out in the field. Huckstep said there was lots of assigned reading, a couple of simulated negotiation exercises and a group project at the end of the three weeks.

Just like the first year in college, Huckstep was assigned a roommate, the Stockton, Calif. police chief, Eric Jones. Stockton serves as the “inspiration” for the television show Sons of Anarchy, so it is a tad different than Crested Butte.

“That made it great,” Huckstep said. “I think I had the best set-up in the whole class. It was simply a great experience.”

As for the actual learning, Huckstep said the students spent a lot of time dealing with the “gray” areas of government. “We focused on how you make decisions when there is no clear wrong way or right way, or where the final decision requires honoring one value/principle/policy at the expense of another. Being able to handle the gray areas effectively is absolutely critical. I see this situation arise in almost every council meeting,” Huckstep said.

He said the lessons could be applied in many Crested Butte situations. “The proposed annexation is a good example,” he explained. “How do we deal with a wholly unique situation such as the existence of the old dump in the face of existing municipal law? Obviously the code never contemplated how to handle this situation, so we have to adopt a process to accommodate the unique circumstances.”

And the flow of information wasn’t just one-way. When asked if he left anything with his fellow students that they could learn from Crested Butte, he noted, “Other than everyone wanting to come visit? Honestly, people were pretty amazed at the complexity of issues we handle here—affordable housing, the proposed annexation, and even Mt. Emmons.”

There were a variety of professors but like any student, Huckstep found his favorites. “Among my favorites were Marty Linsky, Dan Fenn, Julie Wilson and David King, our main guy. Fenn was certainly one of my favorites. He is one of the only living people who served in the Kennedy administration and he had the ability to gently and humorously tell people they were wrong—and he did it numerous times throughout the program. And hearing one Fenn-ism: ‘If I walked on water, that guy would mark me down for splashing!’ I love that kind of stuff.”

It wasn’t all books and lectures. As could be expected, Huckstep needed daily exercise and found a bar that offered a comfort level similar to the one below his office, the Brick Oven. “ I took my road bike and got up at 5 a.m. almost every day, and rode for an hour or so. That helped me a ton,” he said. “And I happened into a place called Shay’s just across from the school. I felt comfortable there.”

Comfortable enough to move to Boston? “Not a chance! I was excited to get back here. I spent Saturday riding mountain bikes and running Browns Canyon with friends, then the Taylor and the new Lupine 3 on Sunday! It’s wonderful to be home.”

A Gates Family Foundation Fellowship picked up most of the $11,200 tuition. The Town Council picked up the additional $900 from its discretionary fund.

Passes closed, cars buried, skiers and riders caught and carried

By Alissa Johnson

Snow slides seemed to be everywhere last weekend. Red Lady Basin. Whetstone. Burying a maintenance road at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR). Avalanche activity hasn’t been limited to Crested Butte, either. Slides across the region have been closing passes, burying cars, and catching skiers and riders.
Zach Guy, forecaster for the Crested Butte Avalanche Center, explained that locally, “After the storm cleared, all that snow turned wet and it’s been sliding. Because it was so warm during that storm, the snowpack below it was wet too, so we’re seeing wet, loose slides.”
In some cases, the slides are gouging down into older snow and growing bigger as a result. Up at the ski resort, crews were working at the top of Silver Queen when a slide off of Paradise Cliff crossed the road and buried their route back down the mountain.
Erica Mueller, CBMR’s director of innovations and relations, said the crew couldn’t drive back down and the resort sent a snow cat up to help them. The ski area is closed to skiing as crews prepare for summer, but the slide was a good reminder, Mueller said, that “on the resort something could slide just as easily as it could on Mt. Emmons. We’ve cleared roads, but skiing could be severely dangerous.”
While the Paradise Cliff slide did not bury any vehicles or take people for a ride, avalanches across the Colorado Rockies have done both. An avalanche closed Loveland Pass in both directions on Sunday afternoon, May 31, and buried two cars, according to Guy.
9News reported that last Thursday, an avalanche caused part of Highway 82 to be closed in both directions on Independence Pass, and the Mountain Mail of Salida reported a slide occurred on the Chaffee County side of Cottonwood Pass on Wednesday, May 27. According to the article, “It left snow on the road Wednesday afternoon but caused no other problems.”
Yet reports from forecasters at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) indicate that slides in Summit County and near Independence Pass did affect skiers and riders.
A report from forecaster Scott Toepfer said a slide in the Elvis Chutes area of Buffalo Mountain caught and carried a splitboard rider who was “swept over a 75 to 100 ft. ice feature in a confined couloir.”
CBS Denver later reported that the rider survived his trip over the waterfall, but did break his knee. It took rescuers 12 hours to get him off the mountain.
Another report on the CAIC website indicated that a skier-triggered avalanche on the east side of Independence Pass carried a skier 200 feet but did not bury or injure anyone in the party.
The message is clear, it seems. It might be June, but avalanche danger is still a risk. “Get out early in the day if you’re going out,” Guy said, “and sometimes the snow hasn’t been refreezing well at night, in which case, it’s better to avoid avalanche terrain altogether.”

Digging a mine shaft to plug the old one

by Mark Reaman

The Environmental Protection Agency is spearheading a major summer Superfund project to help mitigate issues coming from the old Standard Mine up Kebler Pass on Mt. Emmons. A $4.5 million, two-year project will begin later this spring as soon as road access to the mine opens up. The idea is to ultimately put in a bulkhead at the abandoned mine.

Christina Progess of the EPA presented the plan to the Standard Mine working group and interested citizens Wednesday, May 6 at the Crested Butte town hall. The work will bore a 350-foot-long tunnel into Mt. Emmons alongside the old Standard Mine mineshaft. The new tunnel will connect with the old tunnel, and in 2016 a bulkhead will be placed there. Discharge of the contaminated water from the mine will be controlled through a valve in the new bulkhead.

The tunnel will be eight feet high by eight feet wide and is expected to take eight weeks to construct. The rock from the construction will be stored on site so there will be no hauling of the ore.

The EPA would monitor the water in the tunnel for three to five years.

A crew of ten from CB, a crew of seven from Gunnison and 200,000 gallons of water

by Mark Reaman

No one was hurt in a major electrical fire that burned an unoccupied nine-unit condominium complex in Mt. Crested Butte on Sunday and Monday, but the building suffered extensive fire and water damage.

The call came into authorities just after midnight on Sunday, April 26 when someone living in the nearby Redstone condo complex smelled smoke. Officers dispatched to the area observed heavy smoke coming from the second and top floors of Crested Mountain North condos, building L. Firefighters first arrived on the scene about 12:20 a.m.

The L building is one of three in the complex and located east of the main Emmons Loop Road heading to the ski area. The fire did not affect the other two buildings.

According to a statement from the Mt. Crested Butte police department, a Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arson investigator responded to the scene Sunday. “The cause of the fire was deemed to be the result of electrical issues,” the statement reads. “Staining of the common areas was under way at the complex but was not related to the cause of the fire. It was further established that arson or foul play was not a contributing factor.”

 

Fire crews from both Crested Butte and Gunnison battled the blaze overnight. The glow from the flames could at times be seen from south of Round Mountain. Crested Butte firefighters also had to come back to the scene Monday morning to deal with hot spots that had flared back up.

On the original call, ten Crested Butte firefighters, along with seven Gunnison firefighters, pumped approximately 200,000 gallons of water onto the building. The Gunnison crew was released from the major structural fire about 6:30 Sunday morning.

“Having Gunnison as part of a mutual aid agreement on something that big is essential,” explained Crested Butte fire protection chief Ric Ems. “They are a great crew and they brought up an engine designed to help fight such structural fires.”

Ems was on the scene until 9:30 p.m. Sunday. “It was a long day,” he admitted.

He said the Mt. Crested Butte police watched the building overnight Sunday into Monday and there was no sign of fire. But the property manager noticed smoke coming from the building about 8:30 Monday morning so Ems and a few other firefighters returned to the scene. They went inside and knocked down the obvious hot spots, but when flames again flared up they called in more reinforcements and were on the scene until about 11:30 a.m. Monday dousing the building.

“Rekindling is not unusual on fires this big,” explained Ems. “Little spot fires can be in there and then when the sun gets hot or the wind picks up, they can flare up. We hope we got them all and we are in the process of cleaning up our equipment to be back in full service again.”

Ems said while he couldn’t comment on the cause, it was obvious that a fire had been smoldering in the building for a long time. The condo building, built in 1978, is not equipped with a sprinkler system or monitored smoke alarms that alert the fire department.

“The officers of the district are extremely proud of our volunteers that showed up and dealt with that fire,” Ems said. “They did a great job and are essential to the communities that we serve.”

Switch malfunction increased size of outage

A power outage just before sunset on Sunday night left Mt. Crested Butte businesses, homes, and hotels without power at the height of the Presidents’ Day weekend. Outages ranged from an hour or less to more than seven hours, and forced business owners to adjust their expectations for holiday revenues. Read More »