ALAMOSA – After notifying the next of kin, Alamosa County Coroner Joe Dzuris has identified and released the name of the victim whose body was discovered after crews extinguished the flames engulfing a house located at County Road 105 and 6 South.
Dzuris said the victim was identified as 43-year-old James Gombas. When asked if Gombas was a resident of Alamosa, Dzuris said, “He had been occupying the property for about six months.”
As was previously reported in the Valley Courier, Alamosa Fire Department (AFD) crews were called to the fire in the Alamosa County Fire Protection District at about 8:20 a.m. on Labor Day. Firefighters were still on the scene at 2 p.m. that afternoon, assisting the Colorado Division of Fire Protection and Control determine the cause of the blaze.
The single-story garage converted into a home was fully engulfed when AFD arrived. It took between 20 and 35 minutes for firefighters to put the fire out, AFD reported, adding that the home was a total loss.
The body was found inside the structure. The cause of death has not yet been released.
Eleven firefighters used four apparatus to contain the fire. Monte Vista and Mosca fire departments provided mutual aid.
