Black Hawk’s Creekside Bed & Breakfast burns
CBI investigating scene
Creekside Bed & Breakfast in Black Hawk went up in flames last Sunday afternoon. The cause of the fire is unknown and being investigated by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for possible arson. No one was at the B&B at the time of the fire.
The B&B is located at the end of Chase Street, just a few blocks behind the fire station. Black Hawk Fire Chief Bob Norris said firefighters responded in two engines to the 4:46 p.m. call and found the structure already consumed. Flames shooting through the roof measured 80 feet, he noted. Black Hawk Fire Department called for assistance from neighboring Central City, who sent two more trucks and another eight firefighters to augment the dozen Black Hawk personnel. They used a big hose (two and a half inch diameter), said the Chief, and laid down 450 feet of supply hose. It’s unusual to use the bigger hose, he said, and takes a lot of guys to handle it. About an hour and a half later, firefighters had knocked the flames down to embers. Personnel and one truck stayed at the site all night to douse hot spots.
The six bedroom B&B is owned by Terrence Ballowe, who purchased the property in 2004. County records show an original cabin at the address, 531 Chase Street, was built in 1890; however the one and a half story, 6,468 square foot structure that burned dates from1961. In 2008, it was valued at $407,670 with personal property valued at an additional $19,853.
Ballowe has been at odds with Black Hawk staff and council members for several years and was at the root of last year’s unsuccessful council recall action. He was defeated in his own run for City Council last April. Additionally, Ballowe has filed several legal actions against the city, “I’ve lost count,” said City Manager Richard Lessner. So far each one has been dismissed by the court, Lessner noted. Ballowe also got sideways to city officials when he began moving dirt at his property without a permit. The city issued a cease and desist order and recently initiated its own legal action against Ballowe to maintain city right-of-way on Chase Street.
The state of aggravation between the two parties has caused at least one Black Hawk resident to speculate the city may have had something to do with the fire. Lessner responded, “I don’t think any aggravation has occurred that would have prompted someone to commit such an act. A person who thinks that should look to themselves and their own motivation.” Others note that Ballowe’s B&B had gone into foreclosure, as had his residential property at 410 Chase Street, prompting suspicion of Ballowe himself. However, the foreclosures were withdrawn in the last months of 2008 when the mortgage payments were brought up to date, according to the Gilpin County Public Trustee. Ballowe had taken out loans totaling $790,000 when he purchased the properties in 2006. Additionally, Ballowe owns several mining claims in the Black Hawk vicinity. He had been behind in tax payments on those properties, but caught them all up just prior to the November 2008 tax sale.
Firefighters managed to save part of the structure, though what’s left is damaged by water and smoke. The structure’s center was destroyed. On Monday and Tuesday, CBI began investigating using a K-9 dog trained to detect accelerants.
Although Ballowe is in town, he has not returned calls from the Gilpin County News reporter.