Two fires were ignited by smokers at large retirement centers within 11 minutes of each other early Saturday morning, straining firefighting resources. One woman was critically burned, officials say.
At 2:46 a.m., a fire broke out at Golden Manor retirement complex at 4600 W. Colfax Ave., said Phil Champagne, Denver Fire Department spokesman.
Then at 2:57 a.m., a woman in her 60s on oxygen ignited a fire in her 16th-floor apartment at Metro Manor at Quitman Street and 15th Avenue, according to Champagne and a night manager of the 192-apartment retirement high-rise.
Five other people were transported from the 18-story building to hospitals, officials say. They were not severely injured.
A couple living at Golden Manor were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, Champagne said. That fire caused significant damage.
The woman in the second fire, who firefighters found in a stairwell at Metro Manor, was taken to University of Colorado Hospital’s burn center with severe burns, said Metro Manor night manager Cindy Salvador.
