LAKEWOOD — Burning cigarettes tossed from the back porch of a home where a group of young people had gathered to comfort a friend whose mother had died probably ignited a blaze that killed three last summer, investigators said.
Five people who remained after the gathering ended were sleeping in the house at 9877 Fairwood when the fire ignited, probably under a rear porch, said Cindy Matthews, West Metro Fire Rescue spokeswoman, at a news conference in Lakewood today.
The extent of the destruction at the single-family home near Roxborough State Park made it impossible to determine the exact cause. “The most likely theory is the fire began outside where cigarettes had been tossed and spread under the porch, subsequently igniting combustible materials,” Matthews said.
Joey Shedron, 22, his girlfriend Amber Jeffers, 22, and friend Jeremy McCarroll, 20, died of smoke inhalation in the blaze Aug. 3.
McCarroll and two others — Devin Barnhart and Erik Hogue, 19 — were sleeping on couches in a first-floor family room when the flames began to devour the house. All three made it from the building unharmed.
Barnhart and McCarroll went back inside in an attempt to save their friends. “Devin went to the basement and Jeremy went upstairs,” Matthews said.
Firefighters found McCarrol’s body near the bed where Shedron and Jeffers were sleeping when the blaze erupted.
“When Devin didn’t find anyone, he looked up the stairs, saw fire and knew the only way out of the fire was to go through the flames. He ran up the stairs to get out but tripped on a step – a move that probably saved his life because it put him down near the ground where there was less smoke and heat.”
Barnhart suffered burns over 70 percent of his body and was released from the University of Colorado’s Burn Center last month.
Tom McGhee: (303)954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
