Aurora – When a frantic caller pressed a dispatcher about how long it was taking firefighters to respond to an apartment fire, she was told: “That’s not my problem,” according to an audio recording of the call released Wednesday.
Because of confusion and poor communication with that same dispatcher, several callers hung up, and 15 emergency calls were made within four minutes Friday night before the first alarm sounded at Station 1, about three blocks away.
It was seven minutes and 47 seconds from the first call to the time firefighters arrived. The department tries to respond to all calls within eight minutes, which usually includes five minutes of drive time.
Even after firefighters were notified, it took an additional 28 minutes for them to find apartment resident Hardy Bell, the man who allegedly started the fire and then barricaded himself inside his tiny bedroom in an apparent suicide attempt, according to timelines released by the Aurora Fire Department.
It took that amount of additional time even though Hardy Bell’s sister, Bridget Bell, assured firefighters that her brother hadn’t left the apartment at 1600 Geneva St.
Firefighters had to break down the door to get into the only room that was on fire.
Fire Chief Casey Jones said Wednesday that firefighters responded in “textbook” fashion and he cannot fault them for not discovering a man who burrowed himself in a closet under 3 feet of clothing and magazines.
“We did everything we could,” Jones said during a news conference in Aurora. “The victim is in fact our suspect.”
When people call 911, they are often upset and don’t clearly communicate what is happening, Jones said, adding that was the case with several callers Friday night. But the dispatcher he declined to name wasn’t calming callers and explaining the process to them. Callers would hang up when he transferred their calls to a fire dispatcher, Jones said.
Jones said the dispatcher, whose conduct caused a “two minute” delay in the rescue, is not working with the public and won’t until he demonstrates an ability to properly answer calls.
While apartment residents were calling 911, other residents were throwing buckets of water on the flames and using three fire extinguishers to keep the blaze from spreading. Jones acknowledged that one resident drove to the fire station, at 9801 E. 16th Ave., and pounded on the door. By then, firefighters had received their first alarm.
Apartment building owner Ed Mock said that when firefighters did arrive, they were not listening to family members or residents of the three- story building, who were yelling that someone was still in the bedroom.
Bridget Bell has said she told firefighters that her brother had to still be inside.
Hardy Bell was found 12 minutes after the fire was extinguished, according to the Fire Department’s timeline.
He remained in critical condition late Wednesday at the University of Colorado Hospital.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
