An early morning fire forced the evacuation of an apartment building in Denver near I-25 and Colorado Boulevard.
When firefighters arrived, at about 4:37 a.m., smoke was showing and flames were shooting from 10th floor apartment windows at 4225 E. Mexico Ave., said Lt. Phil Champagne, a Denver Fire Department spokesman.
Firefighters had the fire out in about ten minutes and most of the damage was contained to the 10th floor, although there was some damage to the floor above, Champagne said. The building has 13 stories.
One man in the building was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Details on his condition were not available.
Firefighters rushed up stairwells of the burning building and helped some residents get out of their apartments, Champagne said. Many residents had already been warned and rousted out of their sleep by neighbors who were pounding on doors.
Some windows on the 10th floor were blown out by the intensity of the fire and a black scar along the brick exterior of the upper levels is visible.
Several residents of the building, mostly on the 10th and 11th floors, have been displaced by the fire.
Fire department investigators are looking into the cause of the blaze.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
