Christmas night fire destroys abandoned mine cabin
“A long cold night” for firefighters in Packard Gulch
The glow of a Christmas night fire on the hills above Mountain City was seen by some homeowners as far away as Aspen Springs subdivision and could be spotted by drivers on Highway 119. An old and vacant mining structure up Packard Gulch was totally destroyed, “It’s just a chimney and an ash layer about this thick,” said Black Hawk Fire Chief Bob Norris, spreading his fingers to about four inches. Two men were arrested in connection to starting the fire.
Black Hawk Fire Department (BHFD) received the fire call at 10:55 p.m. December 25th. They called for mutual aid from Central City Fire Department (CCFD). The site of the fire (above Red Dolly Casino) lies on the border between the two municipalities (it was determined later that it is actually in BHFD’s jurisdiction). Central City Fire Chief Gary Allen, a long-time Gilpin resident and most familiar with the lay of the land, was in charge of directing firefighting operations. Allen said he and two firefighters initially walked up to the scene. Their trail punches through the snow-drifts into the woods off Cooper Street-the parking area for Mountain City. Once there, Allen realized they could bring a truck up Packard Street and called for a loader from Central City to clear a trail. (Packard Street accesses mainly old mine properties and becomes one rocky rutted dirt lane approximately 100 feet after turning up from Gregory Street. It is not maintained.)
A staging area was set up on Leavitt Street in the area of the Masonic Monument. Chief Allen said more than a dozen CCFD firefighters responded. They were joined by a six-man crew and Chief Norris from BHFD. Allen sent a brush truck, one of the smaller firefighting vehicles, up Packard Street to provide water. There was no reason to risk other vehicles sliding off the road, he said, and the brush truck was all that was needed. Fire had already consumed the structure so the main thrust of firefighters’ efforts was keeping the flames from spreading into the trees. “We fought this like a wild land fire,” said the Chief, using hand tools to cut trees and clear a perimeter fire break. They were on the scene until 4:00 a.m., “a long cold night,” Allen said.
Black Hawk Police Chief Stephen Cole said 25 year-old Charles Adam Nunn (Golden address) and Robert Arthur Donohue (Central City) were arrested Christmas night and booked into Gilpin County Jail. The District Attorney’s office confirmed the two had been charged with Fourth Degree Arson, a Class 1 Misdemeanor which carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in county jail and $5,000 in fines. According to the arrest report, the two had gone to the site to spread the ashes of Donohue’s deceased father. Apparently the men got cold while up on the mountain and attempted to start a fire in the fireplace of the old cabin. Flames spread to the wooden supports around the fireplace. The men threw snow on the flames but were unsuccessful in extinguishing the fire. The structure was located on either the Parole or the Morning Star mining claims. The claims, adjacent to each other, are both owned by Lindsey and Rosa Ashby of Georgetown. Staff at the Gilpin County Assessor’s office said the structure’s loss will not affect the valuation of the property.