The fire that resulted in the death of an Aurora woman and injured 15 others, including three Aurora police officers, started as an accidental cooking fire.
The resident of the unit where the fire originated discovered the fire and ran out of the apartment, leaving the front door open, according to a news release from the Aurora Fire Department.
The fire then spread out of the apartment and into the building’s exterior stairwell.
At 5:49 a.m. on March 26, firefighters arrived at the Aspen Wood Apartments at 532 Potomac St. in Aurora and found the stairwell – the only exit for residents – completely engulfed in flames.
Firefighters used ladders to help 10 residents out of windows.
An elderly woman was killed when she fell from a second-story balcony outside her apartment.
Three of the 12 units in the building were destroyed and the rest were damaged by smoke and water. The property damage is estimated at $500,000.00.
