News Headlines

PHOTOS: Fire destroys fifth wheel, spreads to storage building

Posted: 7:25 AM Jan 31, 2013
Reporter: Andie Adams

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) -- A huge pillar of smoke turns quite a few heads this morning.

The smoke, which could be seen for miles, came from a fifth wheel trailer that caught fire at 1138 Sundial Road before 7 a.m. Thursday. The flames quickly spread to a 20 x 35-foot metal storage building nearby.

Lower Valley Fire Chief Frank Cavaliere says a man who works in the oil industry was living in the trailer, but left around 5 a.m. Thursday morning. No one was injured in the incident.

Grand Junction and Lower Valley firefighters worked to control the blaze, but the trailer was completely destroyed, and 75 percent of the storage building was damaged. The building contained a freezer and other personal items, all of which were destroyed.

The cause has not been determined.

Residents nearby walked up the long driveway to take pictures on their phones of the towering smoke and flames.

This not the first time a fire has plagued this property. In February 2009, an abandoned house was burned down at 1138 Sundial Road. Investigators at the time said the fire may have been started on purpose, since the house was bought with money from a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme involving Michael Jenkins.