Health officials evacuated dozens of units in a Denver apartment complex Saturday that displayed high levels of asbestos dust, and hundreds more may be at risk.
Three buildings with a total of 37 occupied units in the Highland Terrace on Parker apartment complex were deemed unsafe. Results are a day or two away for 12 other buildings with nearly 300 more units.
Cleanup of the carcinogen could take days or weeks, said Christopher Dann, a spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
An ongoing renovation of the 34-year-old buildings in the 1000 block of South Parker Road stirred the dust and made it hazardous, he said.
Meanwhile, residents – those in the unsafe buildings and others who believe they will soon be forced to leave – packed up their essentials and looked for a place to stay.
The American Red Cross set up a shelter at nearby George Washington High School for displaced residents, who were alerted Friday night they would have to leave by noon Saturday.
Maria Duran, 21, helped her aunt Evangelina Velasco, 34, manage her four children and bring the essentials out of her apartment. Plastic bags stuffed with food and laundry were scattered outside Velasco’s front door, along with a case of diapers.
“We’re just waiting for somebody,” Duran said.
She didn’t know who. In a few days, she might have to go as well, taking along four children of her own.
“I feel bad for people, that they have to leave,” said Harry Moseley of Spectrum Services Inc., which was contracted to perform testing. “But I think it’s in their best interests.”
Staff writer Brandon Lowrey can be reached at 303-820-1201 or blowrey@denverpost.com.
