Historical building fire in Silverton cuts power, internet, phones

SILVERTON, Colo. - A fire that destroyed a historical building in a small mountain town in southwestern Colorado over the weekend led to power, internet and cellphone outages and used more than half of the town's stored water.

The fire that started Saturday night in Silverton took nearly 17 hours to extinguish in sub-freezing temperatures and used so much water that city officials asked for voluntary conservation until water storage tanks can refill.

Patrons at a brewery spotted the fire, but couldn't use their cellphones to call 911. Fortunately, the brewery had a landline. The power, internet and cellphone lines run behind the building that was destroyed.

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