By Heath Urie
Daily Camera (Boulder, Colorado)
BOULDER, Colo. — A home in rural Boulder County burned to the ground Friday morning after a volunteer firefighter accidentally set his house on fire with a blowtorch, officials said.
The blaze broke out about 8:30 a.m. at 3955 Conifer Hill Road near Allenspark.
Boulder County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Rick Brough said the owner, Erik Akia, was in a crawlspace under his house, using a gas blowtorch to thaw frozen pipes, when he accidentally set the building on fire.
Akia’s wife and four children were inside the house at the time, but escaped un
harmed. Akia and his wife were taken to a hospital in Estes Park for treatment of possible smoke inhalation, Brough said.
The fire spread quickly through the house, which was built of hay bales and mud, Brough said.
The fire also destroyed a shed next to the house. Brough said Akia won’t face any charges in connection with the blaze.
“It’s non-criminal, because he set his own property on fire,” Brough said.
Jeff Kolen, a firefighter with the Allenspark Fire Department, confirmed Akia is a volunteer with the department. He declined to say how long Akia has been a firefighter.
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