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City staff outline faster demolition path after total-loss house fires
Summary
Fire marshal and code staff described efforts to speed repairs or demolition after total-loss house fires, described a standard notice and hearing timeline, gave examples of a recent case that moved from fire to demolition in under seven months, and noted typical city demolition costs of about $5,000—2 ash—6,000 placed as liens if unpaid.
City fire and code staff briefed the Mayor and Board Commissioners on coordination and timelines for handling homes that suffer total loss in private-structure fires.
Fire Marshal Mike Schatz said most residential structure fires the city responds to are electrical in nature, and the department focuses on rapid notification to code so properties are not left unsecured or sitting as persistent eyesores. "We responded to about 5,300 calls last year, around a 170 structure fires, and I believe approximately 50-ish of those would kind of fall under what we're talking about here," Schatz said, and described prevention messaging drawn from FEMA materials.
Property/code staff described a standard sequence after notification: staff sends an initial letter requesting the owner's plan for repair or demolition; if no adequate plan is provided the city may open a minimum-housing case for interior-damage repairs or, for total loss, set a 10-day notice of a dilapidation hearing. In one example the staff said the fire occurred March 14, a city letter was sent March 21, a dilapidation hearing was held about June 25 and the structure was removed Oct. 13.
"I am aware there was a fire at this property recently ... Permitting may be required due to the scope of necessary repairs. Should you choose to demolish the property, a demo permit will be required," the staff read from the standard letter the city sends property owners.
Staff estimated a typical city-led demolition costs about $5,000 to $6,000 and said the city puts the demolition cost on a lien if the property owner does not pay; property owners generally have six months to pay the city clerk before the lien is recorded, and unpaid liens combined with four years of unpaid taxes can lead the county to auction the property. Staff also cited a 180-day statutory benchmark: a boarded structure left for 180 days may be categorized as a dilapidated structure under state law, prompting dilapidation proceedings.
Commissioners asked about neighbor damage, insurance timelines and investigative steps for suspicious fires; Schatz described the department's investigative reports, the potential for sharing lab results via OSBI and Arson Immunity Act letters, and said that in occupied-structure arson cases he could pursue first-degree arson charges through Garfield County prosecutors.
The presentation was a briefing; staff said they want to streamline timelines and increase coordination so cases move to resolution more quickly, balancing owner insurance timelines against public-safety and neighborhood concerns.
