A house fire in the early morning hours of Saturday, Jan. 30, killed two people in Gunnison, according to local police and other authorities. Although the deceased had not been positively identified by Gunnison County Coroner Frank Vader as of 1:30 p.m. Saturday, they are believed to be Western State College students.

 

At 5:19 a.m. a passerby notified Gunnison dispatch of a house fire in the 100 block of N. Colorado Street - at the corner of Colorado and Virginia Avenue. Upon arrival, Gunnison Police officers assisted four individuals in getting out of the residence. The Gunnison Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. Two occupants of the home were found deceased in an upstairs bedroom.

 

A police officer was injured while evacuating residents and sent to Gunnison Valley Hospital for treatment, according to a press release from the Gunnison Police Department. One firefighter was also taken to the hospital for treatment during the fire.

 

The cause of the fire is under investigation. According to Vader, officials from the Grand Junction office of the Colorado Bureau of Investigations were en route Saturday afternoon to lead that investigation.

 

Vader said the deceased were not burned. He had spoken to WSC officials and was awaiting the OK from the CBI to enter the home to make a positive identification