30 years ago – July 27, 1990
When a 200-ton boulder came crashing down on a Big Thompson Canyon house this week, crushing a sleeping couple with its massive bilk, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office called the Gilpin County Mine Rescue Team for technical advice. Sizing up the situation, two members of the team, Van Cullar and Steve Yanchunis, drove to the scene not far from Estes Park. Fearing that the mountain would release additional boulders, Larimer County emergency personnel were hesitant to begin working the scene. Cullar, a geologist, followed the boulder’s path up the side of the mountain and determined that it was stable. On its way down the steep slope, the massive rock, which measured 13’x13’x26’, sent boulders weighing 10 tons flying 50 yards and more through the trees, shearing off the tops and gouging a scar into the mountain. A boulder estimated to have been as large as the one that killed the sleeping couple shattered into pieces from the force when it was struck. Although their prime motivation in calling Gilpin County Mine Rescue was safety, the Larimer County officials also needed technical advice. Yanchunis, a miner, was able to excavate the bodies from beneath the rock. Local officials at the scene had thought it would be necessary to drill and blast in order to extricate the remains.
The fire that destroyed Columbine Castle on June 11 was suspicious and is still under investigation, said Jeffco District Attorney’s Office representatives this week. “Nothing has been found that points to natural causes,” said Investigator Clint Blackhurst; there were no lightning strikes in the area, the house was powered by a self-contained generator that was turned off, and spontaneous combustion seems unlikely. Samples of burned areas are being tested, but until the investigation is complete, said spokesman Brian Terrat, there really isn’t much to report. The fire in the unoccupied two-story building broke out early in the afternoon. By the time firefighters reached the remote location northwest of Apex, the building was engulfed in flames. Firefighters from three volunteer departments kept the flames from spreading to adjacent buildings and the surrounding woods despite strong winds and an exploding propane tank. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call Investigator Clint Blackhurst at the Jeffco DA’s Office, or the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office.
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