Jim and Terry Fitzgerald die in fatal La Plata County house fire

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.”

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.