No one injured, two condos destroyed in fire on Okemo Mountain
The Chester Telegraph | Oct 21, 2024 | Comments 3
Condos at Trailside Village caught fire on Saturday night. Click any image to launch the gallery. All photos by Cara Philbin.
By Cara Philbin
©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC
No injuries were reported, but Ludlow Town Manager Brendan McNamara, a volunteer firefighter who was fighting the fire on Saturday, said on Monday that he learned from online postings by the renters that 14 people — including several children as well as pets — were renting the condo where the fire started. All escaped safely. But the unit did not have a permit to house that many people, McNamara added.
“It’s a miracle we weren’t pulling bodies out of that fire,” McNamara told The Telegraph.
The Ludlow Fire Department received the report of the fire at 8:54 p.m. and, Kissell said, “We quickly upgraded to first alarm, which means more people, more trucks, and more help.” That upgrade brought approximately 50 firefighters from 10 towns, including Ludlow, Chester, Proctorsville, Cavendish, Mount Holly, Weston, Springfield, Shrewsbury, West Weathersfield and Ascutney, which provided coverage for the Ludlow fire station.
Even though first responders arrived within six minutes of that first 8:54 p.m. report, the fire burned out of control until after midnight, leveling the corner condominium, Unit 7A, where it started.
Units 7A, 7B and 7C were involved in the fire.
Kissell said that Unit 7B was also occupied and destroyed, while another was heavily damaged but unoccupied at the time. It took more than seven hours for firefighters to clear the scene. The website for the Trailside Village’s HOA says that community, which is located between Okemo’s South Face and Sachem Trail, includes over 200 condominiums that range from one to three bedrooms and share “independent water and road systems, a community pool, and tennis court.”
The Ludlow Fire Department was called in shortly before 9 p.m. on Saturday.
April Bortlein, a professional cleaner for Units 7A, B and C, said she arrived at the fire after hearing about it on her emergency scanner.
“I’ve been cleaning there forever. It’s my livelihood, but those condos also mean a lot to me,” Bortlein said. “I live in Ludlow and always clean up here; I think I was their first cleaner. … These units kept me busy and kept my food on the table. I was going to be shampooing the rugs next week.”
Bortlein said she invited the tenants to stay at her home for the night, but that they declined and opted to instead return home.
Ten outside fire departments also answered the call.
Ralph Michel of Colorado told The Telegraph he has owned Unit 7A, where the fire began, since 1987. He bought the four-story, 2,800-square-foot condominium “with my dad and mom, who are no longer with us. Now, we rent it out, but we skied there for many, many years.”
“We feel very sad, but at least no one was injured,” Michel said on Sunday.
“I have been thinking about the families in North Carolina, where they’ve lost their homes and possessions and have nowhere to go, and we’re sitting in Colorado with, you know, our home around us. So it’s sad, but it’s not as tragic as it could be.”
As of Monday, firefighters are unsure what caused the fire.
When asked if he was aware of how many people were staying in the unit, which is rented through the online platform VRBO, Michel said, “I don’t want to go there.”
Ludlow Town Manager McNamara said, “I want everyone to do what they need to do to make a living. But having people stay in a home that’s not up to code, that’s jeopardizing people’s lives. If you are renting out your home, you should be following local housing regulations, codes and standards. Same thing if you’re a renter. You want to make sure the homeowner is following the codes.”
“The fact that this is something we can learn from, and that we’re not dealing with something that can’t be undone, whether that is the death of a tenant, homeowner or first responder, is nothing short of a miracle. As a town, we have to learn from this and start providing oversight.” He added that he would expect Ludlow to revisit its current policy on short term rentals.
Landon Wheeler, Regional Manager for the Vermont Division of Fire Safety, confirmed that the agency has conducted inspections at the unit, but could not confirm whether it had been approved for so many occupants. “If you bring in outsiders and charge them rent, you are assuming liability for them and that’s where the state inspections come in,” he said. “If someone wants to upgrade the use, we would conduct a new inspection to make sure that change of use reflects those standards.”
When asked if his condo will be rebuilt, Michel said, “I have no idea. This is not a process that I understand. I’m sure it’s going to sort out in a period of time and yes, we want to be back there. But how to make that happen? I have no idea.”
An investigation to determine the cause of the fire is ongoing.
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First and foremost the cause of fire must be discovered and understood then if there were “ Host violations punish that host , if in fact renters invited excess guests and limits were in fact posted and not observed then the RENTERs must bear responsibility . I have been approached by prospective guests asking to exceed my posted limits and I decline the booking . I have a responsible property manager, diligent cleaners and observe all the safety recommendations from the Vermont STR association of which I am a member – which I would encourage all Hosts to join .
Once the issue of what has occurred is established then they can be addressed with specificity.
Heavy fines for poor maintenance , and renters ignoring host expectations is a good starting point if that’s the problem
Andover has dozens of STRs, but the Town has no list or registry of where they are. And no fire department or ambulance service within the town. One of the largest STRs is almost 15 miles from the fire department Andover contracts with.
Great article Cara. You definitely did research and interviewed people involved. It is time for Ludlow to put in place a STR that requires a State Fire Inspection based on the owners stated occupancy. That occupancy number must be the same as what the town has the dwelling permitted for use. Failure to register with the appropriate documentation should lead to a significant fine with a lien on the property. Otherwise, someone is going to get hurt or die.