The Estes Valley Fire Protection District was dispatched to a commercial fire at 8:40 p.m. at the Expedition Lodge, 1701 N Lake Ave., Estes Park. Flames were visible from the structure, and the responding battalion chief upgraded the call to a second alarm, which automatically called in mutual aid from nearby agencies.
“Our units got here and they deployed hose lines and got the fire knocked down relatively quickly,” Interim Chief Warren Jones told the Estes Valley Voice at the scene. Firefighters conducted searches of the fire rooms and adjacent areas, and police officers arriving before and with the firefighters searched other areas of the hotel complex and evacuated residents. Two dogs were removed from an adjacent room.
“We do have one patient that was transported,” Jones reported. The individual, identified as a male who was in the fire room, self-exited and was then transported to UCHealth Estes Valley Medical Center and then “down the hill to a burn center” in Loveland, according to Jones. There were no other injuries to firefighters or civilians.
The fire was on both the first and second floors along the northwest side of the building. Firefighters extended a hose line from the first arriving engine to control the fire on the first and second floors at 8:56 pm.
Four units from the EVFPD and one unit from the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority worked the fire with a total of 25 firefighters on the ground, 21 of whom were from the EVFPD.
According to a statement released at 12:30 a.m., the cause of the fire is under investigation by EVFPD and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. No additional information on the cause of the fire is available at this time. Although wind gusted to more than 40 mph in Estes, Jones told the Estes Valley Voice that weather conditions did not contribute to the fire.
Agencies that assisted the EVFPD included the Estes Park Police Department, Estes Park Paramedics, Estes Park Power and Communications, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, and Excel Energy. Except for investigation, all EVFPD units were returned to service by 12:06 a.m.
Justin Mabey, one of the owners of the hotel originally built as a Ramada Inn in 1974, told the Estes Valley Voice, “We are grateful for the quick response from the community, the amazing fire department, and our staff. We will work with the local authorities to determine a cause and next course of action. We appreciate all those in the community who have already reached out and expressed their care and concern.”
Mabey is a partner and co-owner of East Avenue Development, a hotel development firm that owns the Elkhorn Lodge, a historic property that is undergoing extensive renovations and additional building.
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