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The smell of smoke lingered in the streets of Denver’s Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon, where the charred wreckage of a partially built apartment complex continued to smolder.
Denver Fire Department crews have not left the the property at 5337 Leetsdale Drive since it caught fire Friday night, quickly growing into the worst blaze Denver firefighters have faced in decades.
The cause of the five-alarm fire is still under investigation, and on Tuesday the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Denver field office requested a national response team assist with the case, Denver Fire Department Division Chief Robert Murphy said at a news conference.
Human remains search dogs on Monday searched the debris for several hours and did not find any bodies, Murphy said.
The 283-unit Harker Heights apartment complex, valued at $23.2 million and owned by Texas-based real estate investment company Embrey, was set to open in May, according to a design firm involved in the project.
“This fire threatened the safety of our community and injured a firefighter,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Chris Ashbridge said in a statement. “The (national response team) is bringing federal resources and expertise to this complex investigation. It is a top priority for us because we understand the immense challenges this fire has created for residents and businesses.”
The response team — which investigates major fires, explosions and bombings across the country — consists of federal agents, fire investigators, explosives specialists, fire protection engineers, electrical engineers, forensic chemists, intelligence research specialists, digital forensic specialists, a medic and an explosive detection dog, according to ATF.
It’s not clear how long the investigation and clean-up will take, Murphy said, but the “enormity” of the building and the massive amounts of debris will likely make the process difficult and lengthy.
Several businesses in the area were still closed Tuesday, and homes along East Dakota Avenue, which borders the burned area to the north, were visibly damaged.
The fire melted and burned off siding, shattered stone privacy walls and broke windows as flames came within feet of neighboring homes.
Several lanes of Leetsdale Drive remained closed Tuesday, including the right northbound lane and two right southbound lanes between South Holly and South Forest streets, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Fully reopening Leetsdale Drive is contingent on demolishing parts of the charred apartment complex that are still standing, Murphy said. That will likely happen in the next few days, or within a week at most.
Fire investigators have not ruled out any potential causes and are investigating all tips, including reports of a homeless person being in the building and fireworks seen in the area when the fire began, he said.
“We are looking at everything right now,” Murphy said.
Firefighters and investigators still haven’t been able to enter the burned area because of how unstable the debris are and because the fire is still burning, Murphy said. While waiting for the fire to be fully extinguished, investigators have relied on witness accounts and surveillance video from neighboring businesses.
“Some of this fire we just can’t get to,” Murphy said. “It’s covered up, it’s hidden by collapse. I can’t send firefighters in there because of the danger of more collapse.”
Fire crews put an estimated 18 million gallons of water on the flames between Friday night and Monday, Murphy said, and firefighters continued to monitor the scene from a bucket raised high above the wreckage on Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement, Embrey spokesperson Jeff Cowart thanked emergency responders who worked to contain the fire and are working to secure the site.
“Our priority remains working collaboratively with Denver Fire, investigators and the community as the investigation continues to determine the cause and next steps,” Cowart said.
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