Thomas Phippen / Post Independent
A farm workshop west of the Elk Run neighborhood in Basalt caught fire Monday morning, causing ammunition stored there to shoot out of the building.
“When we showed up, it sounded like gunfire,” Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Chief Scott Thompson said. “There was stuff hitting the trees, hitting the house.”
One shell punctured a window in the house nearby, Thompson said.
“What happens is, the lead or bullet is heavier than the shell, so when it explodes, the lead stays there and the shell takes off,” Thompson explained.
The single-story structure also housed a wood shop. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
“We consider everything in the building a total loss. When we got here we had smoke and flames coming out all the windows and doors,” Thompson said.
The fire was called in around 8:25 a.m. to Roaring Fork Fire Rescue. Aspen Fire and Carbondale Rural Fire Protection also responded to the call.
When the fire crews first arrived, they set up a defensive position to protect a nearby barn and other structures, Thompson said.
They were able to run hoses from a hydrant on Two Rivers Road about a quarter-mile to the burning structure.
No one was injured in the fire, and no animals were harmed, Thompson said.