LAKEWOOD — Jeremy McCarroll and Devin Barnhart fled sheets of flame only to plunge back into the rapidly spreading inferno when they realized two friends remained in the Roxborough Village home.
McCarroll, 23, made it to the second-story bedroom only to collapse near the bed where Joey Shedron, 22, and his girlfriend, Amber Jeffers, 22, had been trapped. McCarroll, Shedron and Jeffers died of smoke inhalation and burns in the fire on Aug. 3.
Barnhart, 22, managed to escape, though he suffered burns over 70 percent of his body. Eric Hogue, 19, also escaped from a back door, West Metro Fire Protection District spokeswoman Cindy Matthews said at a news conference Wednesday at a fire station in Lakewood.
Families of the victims declined to speak to the media.
Jeffers’ family issued a statement: “Learning that Jeremy and Devin went back into the house, and that Jeremy lost his life trying to save Amber and Joey, is more than we can put into words.”
Investigators waited to speak with Barnhart, who was in a medically induced coma, before completing their investigation.
Fire investigators have determined that smoldering cigarettes probably ignited the blaze at 9877 Fairwood St. The extent of the destruction at the single-family home near Roxborough State Park made it impossible to determine the exact cause. But investigators have ruled out other possibilities.
“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.
Smoke detectors, if there were any in the home, may not have worked because no one heard an alarm and investigators didn’t find any remnants, said fire investigator Tony Satriano.
A group of 18 or so young people gathered at the house the evening before the fire to comfort Shedron after he received news that his mother had died of cancer.
There was alcohol at the gathering, but investigators found no indication it played a part in the blaze.
Shedron and Jeffers had gone upstairs to bed, and McCarroll fell asleep on a couch in the family room.
Hogue fell asleep on a second couch, and Barnhart sacked out there too.
The first call reporting the fire came from a neighbor at 3:27 a.m. “There’s a house on fire across the street; it’s burning,” an obviously shaken male voice says in a recording of the 911 call.
A minute later, another caller reported an explosion and a fire.
“Investigators say those sounds most likely came from items that were burning, like aerosol cans, tires and other combustibles,” Matthews said.
After the fire, some neighbors said that Shedron, a motocross enthusiast, worked on his bikes at home and kept high-octane fuel there. Satriano said investigators found no fuel, oil or other such accelerant.
Barnhart woke to see flames licking the wall. He shouted a warning, waking Hogue and McCarroll. Barnhart and McCarroll ran out the front door; Hogue left through the rear.
Barnhart and McCarroll went back in to save their friends.
Barnhart ran to the basement. “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,” Matthews said.
Barnhart was released from the hospital last month.
