Jim and Terry Fitzgerald die in fatal La Plata County house fire
Fatal La Plata County house fire death of Jim and Terry Fitzgerald – Obituary
BAYFIELD, Colo. — Authorities have identified the couple who died in a house fire Tuesday night on County Road 525 as 85-year-old Jim Fitzgerald and 90-year-old Terry Fitzgerald.
The Upper Pine River Fire Protection District reported that the blaze broke out around 8 p.m. at the Fitzgeralds’ off-the-grid home on a 360-acre farm, where the couple had lived since 1970. Residents of La Plata County for many years, Jim was a Fort Lewis College professor who taught sociology and Spanish, while Terry worked as a nurse. The pair met in the Peace Corps and raised two daughters at their rural home.
A family statement highlighted their impact on the community: “They touched many lives in Bayfield and La Plata County, but most of all they valued the land and what it had to offer living a sustainable lifestyle. They were good people, and will be missed by many.â€
Investigators determined that two propane space heaters placed near frozen pipes ignited the fire. Firefighters from Upper Pine and Durango Fire Protection Districts arrived around 8 p.m. to find the house fully engulfed, though containment efforts were successful.