A 49-year-old man died this morning in an apartment fire in Berthoud.
James Hastings was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire, in the 600 block of Mountain Avenue, the Berthoud Fire Protection District said in a news release.
The blaze broke out at about 7:35 a.m., and when firefighters arrived, they found an apartment in the single-story, multifamily complex “heavily involved.”
Fire was venting from windows and doors with smoke coming from the eves of the roof, the fire department said. Hastings was trapped inside his apartment.
Fire investigators determined the blaze started in the living room near the couch, where smoking materials were found. They said it appeared Hasting tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire with an extinguisher.
The fire was contained to the single unit by 26 firefighters, including support from Loveland firefighters.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
