Three young people died in an inferno early today at a home near Roxborough State Park after a gathering to mourn the death of one boy’s mother.
As many as 18 people were at 9877 Fairwood St. Saturday evening after news that the mother of Joe Shedron Jr., who lived there, had died, friends and neighbors said.
Neighbors said they heard an explosion or loud popping sounds at about 3:26 a.m. Sunday and looked to see the house burning. “I couldn’t get halfway across the street, the heat was so intense,” said Stuart Buckley, who lives directly across from the home.
Five people apparently remained in the house when the fire broke out.
One person escaped unscathed, and another fled the house and was taken to Littleton Adventist Hospital with burns over 70 percent of his body.
Buckley said the burned man was lying by a rose bush outside the blazing building when he reached his side. “He said he came out through the front door, but I just couldn’t see that. It was like running through a bonfire. I gather he ran for what he thought was a door, squeezed his eyes shut and kept on going.”
When firefighters left the fire station a few blocks from the scene they saw an orange fireball rising from the home, said Cindy Matthews, West Metro Fire and Rescue spokeswoman.
The fire was contained within 45 minutes after the blaze had levelled the home.
Firefighters didn’t know how many people were in the house when it exploded but eventually determined that three were unaccounted for and probably trapped.
Crews discovered the bodies late Sunday morning and removed the first one at about 12:45 a.m.
Identification and cause of death will be made by the coroner’s office, Matthews said.
But friends and neighbors said Shedron, his girlfriend Amber Jeffers, and a friend, Jeremy McCarrol, were in the house.
Family members of the missing waited near the home for news as firefighters searched. A woman screamed repeatedly when they were told that bodies had been found.
At the McCarrol home a group of people sitting on the porch declined to comment about the deaths.
According to property records, the burned home is owned by Joe Shedron Sr. The motorcycle mechanic was in Sturgis, S.D., on business when his home blew up, Matthews said.
Rose Giacchino, owner of a nearby Dazbog Coffee shop, is a friend of the Jeffers’ family. She said Shedron is on his way home from Sturgis after receiving notification of the disaster.
On Saturday, Joe Shedron Jr. received word that his mother, who had been battling cancer, had died, said Kathleen Allen, owner of Nicolo’s, a nearby pizzeria where McCarrol worked.
“The kids went there because Joey’s mom died, to give them support,” Allen said.
Shedron Sr., who is divorced from his wife, didn’t live at the home. He owns a motorcycle repair shop, J.S. Pro-Formance, according to records at the Colorado Secretary of State’s office.
The Shedron’s also worked on motorcycles in their garage where they kept fuel, oil and other flammables, neighbors said.
Buckley said there were frequent parties at the house.
Two neighboring houses also caught fire but the occupants escaped without harm.
On Sunday, as firefighters dug through the charred debris, sunlight could be seen shining through the destroyed roof of one of the neighbor’s homes on a scattering of possessions.
A woman who said her name is Jean said the house is hers. She heard a sound like corn popping and then a neighbor rang her bell and told her the house next door was on fire.
When she left the house the two story home was already engulfed in flame, and soon after her own house caught fire. “A guy brought his hose down and started spraying the roof,” she said.
