Fire investigators are sifting through the remains of an upscale, unoccupied home in Greenwood Village to find what caused the fire that destroyed it early Thursday.
The blaze broke out at 5301 S. University Blvd. South Metro Fire Rescue was alerted about 5:15 a.m., said Andy Lyon, a department spokesman.
A woman stopped at South Metro fire station 37, near the home, and she “reported that there was smoke, lots of smoke” in the area, Lyons said.
Firefighters found the home a short time later, and the fire was already shooting flames into the predawn sky.
The home was listed for sale on a real estate website with an $8.2 million asking price.
According to the website, the home is more than 15,000 square feet in size, with six bedrooms and nine bathrooms, and it sits on a 1.8-acre lot. It was built in 2007.
Firefighters were inside the home battling the blaze, but parts of the structure began collapsing, so they got out as a safety precaution, Lyon said. They continued fighting the fire from outside the home using ladder trucks and engines.
Firefighters suspect the home was burning for some time before they arrived, Lyon said.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
