A fire and explosion at the Britannia Heights Apartments in southeast Denver has left residents of 62 units displaced and damaged about half a dozen rooms at the complex, according to officials this morning.
The explosion and fire struck the five-building, 340-unit complex shortly before 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Firefighters rescued a number of people who were hanging on to upper floor balconies of the building at 1255 S. Bellaire St. while others jumped from lower balconies during the two-alarm fire.
Three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment of smoke and fire injuries while a fourth person was treated at the Britannia Heights apartments, 1255 S. Bellaire St., said Phil Champagne, Denver fire spokesman.
The large complex, one of the most visible just to the east of Colorado Boulevard, has been a landmark in southeast Denver for decades.
This morning about a dozen employees of Greystar Real Estate Partners, the firm that manages the complex, were busy cleaning up the area around the southwest corner of the building.
Broken and boarded-up windows were visible in the southwest units along with dark black soot that covered the brick facade outside the units that were burned or damaged by smoke and water.
Brandon Rich, a Greystar vice president, said the company is working with the Red Cross to find accommodations for the residents.
He said that there are not many vacancies in the four other buildings in the complex, so officials are having to look elsewhere for rooms.
Rich added, however, that not all of the units in the affected building were damaged and that he hopes some of the residents can move back in “as quickly as possible.”
He said Greystar is working with its insurance company and plans to rebuild and repair the damaged units. He said the worst damage was in room 212.
Champagne said people reported hearing explosions from the unit where numerous oxygen tanks were located.
Champagne said a man in the unit suffered “significant injuries.”
The explosions occurred at 4:58 p.m. and spread rapidly causing people to panic and begin jumping from balconies, said Champagne.
When firefighters arrived at the building in the southwest corner of the complex the smoke was so black and thick they had trouble seeing the balconies.
“The smoke was very dense,” Champagne said.
Fire supervisors almost immediately upgraded the inferno to second-alarm status, with 66 firefighters in 16 different types of engines responding, he said.
Firefighters entered the third floor of the six-floor building with 72 apartments and quickly worked to contain the fire to the second floor, Champagne said.
Firefighters in ladder trucks rescued people from fifth- and sixth-floor balconies, he said. Residents were helping other people get out of the building safely. Some people jumped from lower floor balconies, Champagne said.
It took firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which caused “massive” smoke damage, he said.
Water was shut off at the complex, and residents of 62 units were displaced. The American Red Cross provided temporary shelter for those who needed it at the Church of the Risen Christ.
Fire investigators will probably know by the end of the week the exact cause of the fire, said Champagne.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
