The quick thinking of a family whose Arvada home went up in flames early Sunday saved nearby structures and two children’s lives, neighbors say.
As the blaze engulfed the trailer home at lot 130, members of the family of seven rushed to warn neighbors and to get help moving a camper with a full propane tank, recounted a woman who lives nearby.
Meanwhile, one of the older children — a 17-year-old boy — smashed through a window to rescue his younger brother and sister who were trapped in their bedroom, said Elizabeth Pichotta, who lives just across a narrow road in the mobile home park at 5400 Sheridan Blvd.
The two parents and five children were sent to the hospital with minor injuries and are receiving temporary shelter from the Mile High chapter of the Red Cross. Their names have not been made public.
“They’re really sweet people, a close-knit family,” said Pichotta, who was roused from sleep by one of the family members and calls the teenage boy a hero. “If they had not moved this (camper) . . . It’s scary, really.”
Investigators with the Southwest Adams County Fire Rescue said they had not yet determined the source of the fire.
The blaze gutted the family’s home, leaving intact only a newly painted Volkswagen bug with melted taillights, a two-seat baby stroller and a few other possessions.
The 5:45 a.m. fire also damaged nearby trailers, including that of Amber Peters, who awoke to an explosion and intense heat.
The side of her home melted, and her possessions were soaked in pungent smoke and fumes.
In her panic, Peters said, she ran outside barefoot and without her pants. She and other neighbors were evacuated by sheriff’s officers before the fire department arrived.
Peters rushed back into her home to don trousers and save her cat, she said, pointing to long red claw marks on her forearms.
Peters said she suspects the conflagration started with a gas leak.
“It sounded like the house was exploding,” Peters said. “At first, I thought my house was on fire.”
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com
