South Metro crews responded to 911 calls about smoke at a multi-family complex at 5531 S. Delaware St. at 11:26 p.m., spokesperson Brian Willie said.
The address matches Regal Apartments.
Firefighters rescued one occupant from the apartment where the fire started and performed lifesaving measures, along with medics, for 40 minutes, Willie said, but the man died at the scene.
The fire was contained to one unit, and at least 10 other residents temporarily displaced from their homes were able to return by 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The fire is still under investigation and the resident’s name will be released by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.
DENVER — The Mile High City is experiencing one of its warmest winters on record.
While people are enjoying t-shirt weather and outdoor dining in February, experts are also warning of increased wildfire risks.
This winter has been undeniably different for Denver — and the numbers tell the story. The Denver7 Weather Team says Denver has recorded 29 days at 60 degrees or above this winter. That’s only behind the winter of 1981, which saw 34 such days.
Denver7 spoke with Bernie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder, who explained what’s driving the unusual weather pattern.
“There’s been a dome of high pressure over the western part of the country, and so that pushes the storm track across Montana, northern part of the country, and even into Canada,” Meier said.
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Meanwhile, Meier cautioned against attributing this single season to climate change.
“If you start stacking seasons like this on top of each other, or having five out of 10 years or 7 out of 15 years, then, yeah, maybe you can start pointing towards, more specifically, climate change. But kind of a one-year wonder here, you really can’t pinpoint on that one thing alone,” Meier said.
He emphasized that this weather pattern does come with significant risks.
Those risks are something South Metro Fire Rescue is monitoring every day.
“I mean, even myself, I’m really enjoying the warm temperatures right now, but that does pose the risk of wildfire,” said Matthew Assell, public information officer for South Metro.
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Saturday is expected to bring breezy conditions with abnormally low humidity and dry conditions — a combination that heightens fire danger.
The fire rescue’s message to the community is clear: Enjoy the weather but stay vigilant.
“Don’t let the potential danger hold you back, but just keep in mind that what you may normally consider safe in February might not be safe right now,” Assell said.
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Students at a Douglas County elementary school were evacuated Thursday morning after an iPad exploded and set off a fire alarm, district officials said.
The device exploded in a technology office at Mammoth Heights Elementary School at 9500 Stonegate Pkwy, Douglas County School District spokesperson Paula Hans said in an email.
That office space is not used by students, and the one staff member in the room was not injured, Hans said.
The explosion set off the fire alarm and evacuated the school. South Metro Fire Rescue crews responded and determined it was safe for students and staff to return to the building, Hans said.
The incident left a small burn mark on the office floor, she added.
South Metro officials confirmed crews responded to a hazardous materials call at the school at 10:58 a.m. and said there was no threat to the community.
The restaurant only opened just over a week ago on Thursday, January 15, according to the company’s social media. The business started out on Pearl Street in Denver — known to fans as “Jack’s on Pearl.”
The newest location was in the former Mimi’s Café building on Park Meadows Drive in Lone Tree.
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The fire at Jack’s Lone Tree location was reported around 9:45 p.m. Thursday, and South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) found a small fire burning inside a wall. SMFR said it got the fire under control around 11:15 p.m. Thursday.
No one was injured, but SMFR said it had to conduct extensive overhaul to confirm no embers had spread. The SMFR Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was an accident.
SMFR said Jack’s is expected to remain closed for an extended period of time for repairs.
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South Metro Fire Rescue and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office are responding to the fire at 7980 Kendall Blvd.
Firefighters deemed the blaze a second-alarm fire that involved a camper trailer parked between two homes. The fire extended to homes on either side of the camper, officials said.
Video provided by South Metro Fire Rescue showed smoke billowing out of a charred, melted camper trailer with firefighters dousing the flames.
As of noon, the fire was under control and crews were cleaning up, according to South Metro Fire Rescue. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
One person was taken to a local hospital, South Metro Fire Rescue said. Their condition is not known at this time.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Six people were taken to the hospital after a “serious” multi-vehicle crash that closed southbound Interstate 25 and a light rail line near Greenwood Village on Thursday night.
South Metro Fire Rescue crews responded to the crash at 6:52 p.m. near I-25 and Arapahoe Road, the agency said on social media. A hazardous materials truck also responded to the scene for a fuel leak from one of the vehicles.
Further information about the severity of injuries was not immediately available.
The highway will likely be closed for an extended period of time, and the Regional Transportation District’s E Line is also shut down because of debris from the crash on the track, South Metro spokesperson Brian Willie said.
Shuttle buses are replacing E Line service at the Lincoln, County Line, Dry Creek, Arapahoe at Village Center, Orchard, Belleview and Southmoor stations until further notice, according to an RTD alert.
Southbound I-25 is closed at exit 198 for Orchard Road and Greenwood Village, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The Greenwood Village Police Department is investigating the crash, Willie said.
An injured hiker was rescued Sunday from Daniels Park in Douglas County after falling 20 feet from an overlook rock, South Metro Fire Rescue officials said.
South Metro officials said crews had to create a “technical rescue plan” to extract the hiker by rope. The hiker, an unidentified adult, was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.
A video posted by South Metro Fire Rescue shows crews hoisting the injured hiker up through a 150-foot pulley system and carrying the hiker out of the park on a stretcher.
No additional information about the rescue was available Sunday evening.
Update: Crews have made contact with one party and working on a technical rescue plan to extract the party via rope. pic.twitter.com/R68zLO60t8
Fire officials ordered evacuations in Arapahoe County Saturday after a brush fire burning southeast of Byers spread to at least one home and threatened others.
Multiple fire departments and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office responded to a brush fire Saturday morning in the 2400 block of South Quail Hollow Road, according to an 11:20 a.m. statement from the sheriff’s office.
South Metro Fire Rescue said seven crews responded to support Byers Fire Rescue in wildland and structure fire protection.
“The fire, which is currently about the size of a football field, is burning several hundred yards from homes,” sheriff’s officials said when crews first arrived on scene.
By 11:42 a.m., the fire had spread to at least one home and sheriff’s officials said more may be involved.
Deputies have evacuated a three-mile area near County Road 193 and County Road 34, sheriff’s officials said.
As of 11:45 a.m., no injuries had been reported and the fire was burning in the southeast direction.
The roof of an auto body repair shop in Littleton collapsed Saturday morning, fire rescue officials said.
South Metro Fire Rescue crews and Littleton police officers responded to reports of a roof collapse at Bradford Auto Body around 8:45 a.m. Saturday, the fire department said in a statement on social media.
No one was in the building — located at 2659 Main St. in Downtown Littleton — when the roof collapsed and no injuries have been reported, according to South Metro.
The fire department said a 900-square-foot section of the roof collapsed, but the cause remains under investigation.
Firefighter, Technical Rescue, Hazmat and Heavy Rescue crews were all on scene to stabilize the remaining sections of roof, and South Metro handed the building over to the City of Littleton around 10:15 a.m.
The city’s building inspector will work with the business owner to determine the cause of the collapse and next steps moving forward.
A man in his 20s was underwater and had not resurfaced for more than nine minutes, according to the department.
Divers found the man around 5:34 p.m., according to officials, and first responders performed CPR. The man was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, according to a 5:41 p.m. update on X.
