Arson investigators were looking into the possibility that fireworks started a house fire late Thursday in northwest Denver, authorities said.
Firefighters were able to keep the blaze from spreading to adjacent homes in the 3300 block of Quivas Street, a neighborhood where houses are close to each other. However, flames did damage the roof of a neighboring home, Fire Lt. Phil Champagne said.
Keven Vesel was home painting just after 10 p.m., when a neighbor burst through his front door screaming that the second floor of Vesel’s home was on fire.
“We smelled the smoke for like five minutes, but we thought it was from a barbecue next door or something,” Vesel, 48, said.
When firefighters arrived, the upper level was engulfed with flames. They attacked the fire aggressively, entering the home because they feared someone was trapped inside, Champagne said.
However, it turned out that everyone in the home was accounted for and no one was injured, he said.
Much of the home was damaged by the fire, Champagne said.
Sitting in a neighbor’s lawn watching as firefighters soaked hot spots, Vesel, a professional photographer, and friends wiped water from photographs. They were among the few items he was able to pull from the blaze.
Vesel said he suspects the fire was caused by fireworks.
“It’s been pretty crazy here the past few days with them,” he said.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com
