Latest: Aurora firefighters continue to battle construction fire Sunday
A five-alarm fire at an Aurora apartment building under construction closed the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Peoria Street on Saturday, and caused smoke to be seen across the metro area.
As of Sunday evening, the intersection remained closed and police said it could be shut down for days while Aurora Fire Rescue investigated the cause of the fire.
Aurora Fire Rescue was notified of the fire at 12:48 p.m. Saturday, spokesperson Andrew Logan said in a news conference, and crews will likely be working on the blaze through the evening. This is the second large fire at an Aurora apartment construction site in three days.
First responding fire crews entered the building and went to the fifth floor of the building, where the fire was first reported, but the fire conditions caused the crew to leave the building and focus on defensive firefighting.
The fire was then raised to a fifth alarm, and several area fire agencies including the Denver Fire Department, South Adams Fire, South Metro Fire Rescue and the Rattlesnake Fire Protection District responded.
While the Link Apartments Fitz, developed by Grubb Properties, is severely damaged, Logan said no other buildings were damaged.
In an emailed statement to The Denver Post, a spokesperson for Grubb Properties said no injuries have been reported and that the company will work with local authorities in the investigation. The team plans to assess damages in the next several days.
The first apartment construction fire was early Thursday morning in the southeast side of the city near South Aurora Parkway and Gartrell Road.
Caine Hills, Aurora Fire deputy chief, said right now the only thing the two fires have in common is that they were apartment buildings under construction.
The first fire is being investigated, and the investigation into Saturday’s fire won’t begin for at least another day or two.
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