Brief by Central Staff
Fairplay – July 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine
Park County got a new courthouse in Fairplay a few years ago — and now it needs to rebuild the court clerk’s office, which was nearly destroyed by a fire on May 31.
The fire, which demolished the equipment and computers in the 816-square-foot office and caused smoke damage in the courtroom, caused the postponement of some court proceedings. However, no irreplaceable records were lost.
Initially, some people thought the fire might have been caused by lightning, since there was a severe electrical storm over Fairplay that afternoon.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has ruled that out, but has been rather tight-lipped about announcing “suspected arson” or the like. Investigators and sheriff’s deputies have been questioning people who had business pending before the court, but have yet to announce a cause for the fire.
Not only have there been no announcements, but as of our deadline there haven’t even been any leaks about arson, overloaded electrical wiring, a clandestine cigarette in a waste basket, or the other usual suspects.
