Investigators say a Fort Collins fire that forced a woman, who had been physically assaulted, to jump from a second-story window was arson.
K9 unit dog Shadow assisted fire investigators who determined that it was intentionally set at several places in the apartment, although the blaze burned mostly in an upstairs bedroom.
Samples of the accelerant used in the fire were sent to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to be identified.
Police have not named a suspect in the incident, and the woman has not been able to talk to authorities. Police are asking for the public’s help in tracing the woman’s activities before the Tuesday morning incident.
Fort Collins police and the Poudre Fire Authority were dispatched to the apartment fire in the 1200 block of Pomona Street at 5:33 a.m.
A caller reported seeing smoke coming from an upstairs window on the south side of the apartment.
When authorities arrived, they found an injured 30-year-old woman in the backyard. There were no other people in the apartment and there were no apparent signs of forced entry, police said.
The woman was injured during the fire and by the jump from the window. Doctors confirmed she also sustained injuries when she was physically assaulted beforehand.
Details about the nature of her injuries haven’t been released.
Police have identified the woman as Lydia Tillman. The Denver Post does not usually release the names of assault victims but has decided to disclose hers to encourage anyone who knows her to contact investigators.
Tillman moved to Fort Collins from Longmont about a month ago and was living alone in the apartment, police say. She works as one of seven sales representatives in Colorado for the Natural Wine Co., a distributor of wines headquartered in Boulder. The company hosted a wine tasting in Longmont last Saturday.
Before coming to Colorado, Tillman lived in New York City and worked as a wine connoisseur at an upscale restaurant.
Her family is by her side in the hospital, police said, and have asked that anyone who knows about her activities on July 4 or 5 contact Detective Jaclyn Shaklee at 970-221-6575 or Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868.
Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1372 or yrobles@denverpost.com
