Several Littleton families are displaced after a fire destroyed an apartment complex in The Dakota at Governor’s Ranch Apartments.
The second alarm fire began early Saturday evening in building 17 of the apartment complex at 9023 West Cross Drive, said West Metro Fire spokeswoman Ronda Scholting.
A couple was walking nearby, smelled smoke and saw the fire, Scholting said. The man knocked on the door of the apartment where the fire appeared to be coming from and ended up breaking the door down when nobody answered, Scholting said. A resident who had just moved in was asleep inside. The man pulled the resident to safety.
“They tried to fight the fire for a while, and then got out of there,” Scholting said.
About 50 firefighters responded to the blaze that began on a second-story balcony, Scholting said.
“The flames got into the attic and spread, which made it structurally unstable,” Scholting said.
Firefighters were pulled out twice because the building looked like it might collapse, she said.
Responders then tried to fight the fire from the outside and keep it from spreading. Part of the roof collapsed in at least a few adjoining apartments, Scholting said.
There was one non-life threatening injury, although authorities are not sure what that injury is at this time.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, Scholting said, although they have determined it to be accidental.
“The building has been condemned,” Scholting said.
The building contained 14 apartments. All of the families who lived there are now displaced, Scholting said.
Twelve units were affected, according to the American Red Cross, which worked with the affected families on Sunday.
The organization has provided food, shelter, lodging, clothing and transportation for residents from four of the damaged units.
The Salvation Army and Jefferson County Victim Assistance are also trying to help the families who are without housing, Scholting said.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or
