A large home with 14 family members, some of them elderly and in wheel chairs, was heavily damaged in a fire Tuesday night in Franktown.
Four of the residents were transported to local area hospitals with minor injuries. One elderly woman in a wheelchair was treated for smoke inhalation, according to authorities.
The fire, which was located on Conastoga Court midway between Franktown and Elizabeth near the Elbert County line, broke out around 8:30 p.m. in a garage. Family members said they were cooking when they smelled smoke coming from the garage, so they called the fire department and evacuated the house.
Firefighters arrived to find the building fully engulfed in flames, said Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy Dave Joly. They were hampered by explosions coming from the house, which they said may have been oxygen bottles used by the elderly who lived there.
Equipment responded from Franktown, Elizabeth and Parker. The fire was out at 9:20 p.m. The cause has not been determined but is under investigation.
