Torrington fire chief reports five recent calls, one total-loss house fire; no injuries

Fire Chief Luis Correa told the Torrington City Council on Jan. 21 that the fire department had handled about five calls in the recent period, including an attic fire caused by faulty electrical wiring, multiple carbon-monoxide or detector-end-of-life calls, a cooking incident in a dormitory and a recent residential structure fire that resulted in a total loss for the homeowner.

"It's slowed down a little bit for us. We've had about a total of 5 calls," Correa said, and added that one recent structure fire east of town appeared to be a total loss; he said he was not aware of any injuries. Correa said the department was focused on apparatus maintenance and training.

During the report, the mayor reminded listeners on the radio about best practices for carbon-monoxide calls: "If there's a carbon monoxide call, the best approach for the homeowner is to leave the building but leave the door shut and the window shut so that when you get up there, you can actually measure something." Correa agreed, saying keeping doors and windows closed helps crews measure concentrations and locate the source.

The chief also described one attic fire caused by faulty electrical wiring that was extinguished before major damage and a cooking incident at Eastern Wyoming College that triggered fire alarms and burned items in a dormitory room. Correa said the department continues routine maintenance of vehicles and training for personnel.

Provenance: Chief Correa's report begins at transcript s=2002.015 and the exchange about carbon monoxide instructions appears at s=2092.5251 through s=2140.67.