A fire destroyed the home of Joe and Betty Edwards in Allenspark on Monday morning. The Edwards moved to the Estes Valley and became the new owners of Scratch Deli and Bakery at 911 Moraine Ave. in Estes Park in August 2025.
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A 911 call was received at the Boulder County Communications Center at 11:30 a.m., stating that there was a fire under the structure’s porch and smoke inside the house. A call went out immediately to mutual aid agencies, including the Estes Valley Fire Protection District, for assistance.
Mike Cousineau, fire chief for the Allenspark Fire Protection District, was the first responder on scene at 11:37 a.m. When Cousineau arrived, a porch was on fire. By 11:40 a.m., a wood pile on the property ignited. By 11:44 a.m., the dwelling was fully engulfed, and the fire began to spread to the trees and the forest floor.
Firefighters began applying water to the structure at 11:54 a.m. Because of the temperatures, water on the ground started to freeze, making it difficult for them to hike up the property’s long driveway while carrying hoses and other equipment.
Family members, including an adult daughter and two grandchildren, and their pets evacuated the residence safely, and, aside from four firefighters slipping on ice, no injuries were reported.
In an interview with the Estes Valley Voice, Teresa Hoffman, public information officer for the Allenspark Fire Protection District, said that high winds blowing from the west to the east contributed to the fire’s rapid spread.
According to the Weather Underground website, the wind speed in Allenspark on Jan. 26 was 21 mph, with gusts up to 36 mph.
As water from fire hoses flowed downhill, it froze, creating slippery ground for firefighters, said Hoffman.
In addition to the Allenspark Fire Protection District, other responding mutual aid agencies included the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the Lefthand Fire Protection District, the Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department, the Boulder Emergency Squad, the Estes Valley Fire Protection District, and the Estes Park Health Paramedics.
Allenspark had 12 firefighters on the scene, plus two engines, one all-hazard vehicle, one tender, and one brush truck, and were on the scene until 6:43 p.m. The Estes Valley Fire Protection District sent 13 firefighters plus an engine, two tenders, and one wildland truck to provide support. Justin Kearney, a captain with the EVFPD, was the senior officer from Estes. Two additional tenders were brought in to provide water. Firefighters from the Boulder Emergency Squad dug firelines to prevent the fire from spreading on the forest floor.
“It was a long, long incident,” said Warren Jones, the interim fire chief for the EVFPD who praied the work of all the firefighters who worked under challenging winter conditions. “There’s no one fire agency that’s big enough to handle every incident they could conceivably have, and we rely on the assistance of our neighbors to make that happen.”
When dealing with a working fire that lasts more than an hour, Jones said mutual aid is essential. “We certainly couldn’t do what we do without the cooperation of our mutual aid partners,” Jones said.
In addition to the strong winds and freezing temperatures, responding fire departments could only get one fire truck close to the house due to the long driveway. Firefighters had to carry hoses up a hill to the home under what Jones described as harsh conditions.
Hoffman said a neighbor called 911 at 8:04 a.m. on Tuesday to report smoke and a possible rekindling of hot spots on the property. The Allenspark Fire Protection District returned to the site and applied water and foam, said Leo Touzjian, Allenspark assistant fire chief.
Brian Schaffer, the chaplain for the Estes Valley Fire Protection District and the executive director of Crossroads Assistance Ministries, helped secure lodging for the family at the YMCA of the Rockies.
Because the family lost everything except for what they were wearing, emergency donations of clothing have been requested. In-kind donations can be dropped off on the porch of Scratch Deli and Bakery.
A GoFundMe account was established by Val Tompson, the former owner of You Need Pie and the current owner of Your Swag Squad.
Contributions can also be made to Crossroads to support their work in helping the Edwards and others in the Estes Valley who need assistance.
The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation by the Multi-Agency Fire Investigation Team of Boulder County. The case is documented under case number 26-00347.
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