North Capitol Hill construction site fire – The Denver Post Colorado breaking news, sports, business, weather, entertainment. Fri, 13 Dec 2019 00:53:17 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cropped-DP_bug_denverpost.jpg?w=32 North Capitol Hill construction site fire – The Denver Post 32 32 111738712 Homicide investigation begins after woman’s body found in Denver’s North Capitol Hill /2019/12/12/denver-capitol-hill-homicide/ /2019/12/12/denver-capitol-hill-homicide/#respond Fri, 13 Dec 2019 00:53:17 +0000 /?p=3796045 A woman’s body found in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon is being investigated as a homicide, police said.

Officers were sent about 4:50 p.m. to the 800 block of East 17th Avenue on a report of an unresponsive person, said Doug Schepman, a police spokesman.

The woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was not identified. Her body was found in an outside area, not inside a residence, Schepman said. An investigation is ongoing.

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Denver apartment project to be rebranded after being destroyed in fatal 2018 fire /2019/11/11/rebranded-apartment-project-planned-for-denver-emerson-property-fatal-2018-fire/ /2019/11/11/rebranded-apartment-project-planned-for-denver-emerson-property-fatal-2018-fire/#respond Mon, 11 Nov 2019 18:57:13 +0000 /?p=3740768 The property at 1833 Emerson St. in Denver, the scene of three-alarm fire that destroyed an under-construction apartment project and killed two men last year, will be rebranded in the coming weeks as the development company that owns the property prepares to rebuild there.

The project near the intersection of Emerson Street and East 18th Avenue was set to be a five-story building containing 84 apartments in North Capitol Hill before its exposed wood frame ignited on March 7, 2018. The flames eventually climbed 200 feet in the air in one of the largest fires in recent Denver history. Two workers on the site that day, 37-year-old Dustin Peterson, an electrician, and 29-year-old Roberto Flores-Prieto, an insulation installer, died in the fire. Six other people were hurt.

The cause of the inferno remains unknown, according to Denver Fire Department officials.

The property has been largely quiet since investigators wrapped up their on-scene work. The only thing that remains of the Emerson Place project is a concrete pedestal. The site’s owner, Denver-based developer , put up a fence around the roughly half-acre site after receiving a city enforcement notice in January, Denver officials said.

This week the developer confirmed that a new apartment building will eventually be built there.

Andy Boian, representing Allante, told The Denver Post on Friday that in the next few weeks the developer plans to announce the branding for a new project on the property that will be similar to the scale of Emerson Place.

“We have rebranded it and we will announce the brand soon,” Boian said. “It’s a revolutionary idea for the city. It will be more focused on health and wellness and self-care for tenants beyond just standard apartments.”

A firm timeline for construction hasn’t been established yet, Boian said, but the new concept should be made public “within weeks.”

Boian is the founder and CEO of Dovetail Solutions, a communications firm that specializes in crisis management. Dovetail began working with Allante following the fire and has worked with the company on marketing and branding around the forthcoming project.

Building housing to specifications that promote human health is an emerging trend in the construction industry. The Lakehouse condo project near Sloan’s Lake is pursuing a WELL Building Standard certification (similar to a Green Building Standard) based on features like enhanced air filtration, a rooftop farm and windows designed to let more natural light into the building.

Allante is not required to build or demolish anything at 1833 Emerson St. as it stands now. City inspectors have responded to two 3-1-1 calls regarding trespassing on the property since the fencing went up earlier this year, once in April and again in August, officials say. In August, the inspector warned Allante to remove trash and cut down vegetation on the property. The company did so before the end of that month.

“As long as they are keeping it safe and secure, we don’t have any set timeline on when they have to put something new on the property,” Laura Swartz, a spokeswoman for Denver Community Planning and Development, said.

The investigation into what sparked the Emerson Place fire remains open and active, Denver Fire Department Capt. Greg Pixley said Friday. In the months after the fire, investigators were able to rule out a number of potential causes including cords or temporary power units used on the site, but they “continue to work toward trying to narrow down the cause,” he said.

New construction on the property would not interfere with that ongoing work.

“The investigation on the property itself was completed not long after the fire,” Pixley said. “We were going to do that until we had every possible piece of evidence relevant for the investigation.”

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/2019/11/11/rebranded-apartment-project-planned-for-denver-emerson-property-fatal-2018-fire/feed/ 0 3740768 2019-11-11T11:57:13+00:00 2019-11-11T18:36:34+00:00
Denver fire investigators still searching for answers in North Capitol Hill construction site blaze that killed two /2018/06/27/denver-capitol-hill-construction-fire-investigation/ /2018/06/27/denver-capitol-hill-construction-fire-investigation/#respond Wed, 27 Jun 2018 18:29:06 +0000 /?p=3118017 More than 3 1/2 months after a fatal, three-alarm fire at a downtown Denver construction site, fire investigators have a long list of what did not cause it.

But they are still trying to determine what ignited the March 7 inferno, which killed two people and destroyed what was to become a five-story, 84-unit apartment building at Emerson Street and East 18th Avenue, in the North Capitol Hill neighborhood.

“Although some possible causes for the fire have been ruled out, it currently is listed as undetermined,” said Greg Pixley, a Denver Fire Department spokesman. “And because of ongoing interviews and investigation, this case will remain open and under investigation.”

After conducting 200 interviews and reviewing 500 photographs, fire investigators have ruled out actions by the following workers as causes: framers, welders, plumbers, drywall installers, insulation workers and electricians. Electrical cords and power units set up to provide a temporary power source for the construction site also have been ruled out.

The fire killed two construction workers — Dustin Peterson Peterson, a 37-year-old electrician, and Roberto Flores-Prieto, 29, who installed insulation. Six other people were injured.

The flames — which caused damaged to seven other nearby buildings and destroyed 45 cars, trucks and fire department vehicles  — rose 200 feet in the air, and the heat was intense enough to be detected from space.

The fire spread rapidly due to open ventilation and the wood-frame construction that did not have active fire stops, Pixley said. Some corridors had drywall, but many rooms were separated by plywood. Doors and windows had not been installed.

Vertix Builders, the company overseeing construction, and Allante Properties, the management group, issued statements saying they are cooperating with investigators and echoed Pixley’s call for people to share more information.

Two of Denver’s three largest fires in recent memory have happened this year, Pixley said.

In May, another three-alarm fired devoured two townhome buildings under construction near the Denver Broncos’ stadium. No one was injured. The cause of that fire remains under investigation, Pixley said.

Prior to the March tragedy, the last big fire that prompted the response from multiple fire stations  was a three-alarm fire at a Glendale construction site in 2013.

People with information about the March fire are urged to call the Denver Fire Department tip line, 720-337-2828.

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Owners of Denver apartment building destroyed in March fire deny responsibility pending investigation /2018/04/09/denver-apartment-building-fire-owners-deny-responsibility/ /2018/04/09/denver-apartment-building-fire-owners-deny-responsibility/#respond Mon, 09 Apr 2018 22:50:59 +0000 /?p=3010739 A makeshift memorial of flowers, hard hats and reflective vests hangs from the chain link fence surrounding the site of the massive March 7 fire that destroyed an apartment building under construction in Denver.

But while cleanup and repair efforts proceed on surrounding properties impacted by the inferno that killed two construction workers, owners of the apartment building have notified possible litigants that responsibility for the blaze has not yet been determined and set a Friday deadline for anyone who wants to inspect the fire site or try to reclaim property from the premises.

Since the cause of the blaze has not been settled, the owners of Emerson Place Apartments, and their respective insurance providers, “do not acknowledge that they are responsible for the alleged damages that prospective claimants purport to have sustained,” according to Matt Moseley, spokesman for Allante Properties, the Greenwood Village company developing the five-story, wood-frame apartment complex in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood.

The cause of the fire at 1833 Emerson St. hasn’t been determined. The three-alarm blaze killed two men and injured six people. It also destroyed about 30 vehicles and damaged 13 nearby buildings.

“Itap still under investigation,” said Denver Fire Department spokesman Lt. Ahmid Nunn. “Those type of investigations could be ongoing for months, especially the type of fire that it was. Sometimes even the simplest can take a long time to come up with answer. With this fire, it could be weeks to months before they come up with findings.”

The fire destroyed most of the property, leaving only the elevator shaft protruding from piles of charred lumber, and no one lived on site. But contractors may want to salvage equipment left behind, said Andy Boian, another spokesman for the developers. Security will be at the scene to monitor access to the property, he added, and once the Friday deadline passes, developers will start site reclamation as soon as possible.

Developers have not decided what the future holds for the property, Boian added. Decisions will depend on the fire investigation and insurance determinations.

“There is no plan with what’s going to be done with the site,” Boian said.

Staff writer Noelle Phillips contributed to this report.

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Liability in fatal North Capitol Hill construction blaze not determined, developer says /2018/04/09/north-capitol-hill-fire-liability/ /2018/04/09/north-capitol-hill-fire-liability/#respond Mon, 09 Apr 2018 15:25:10 +0000 /?p=3010465 Owners of an apartment that burned to rubble, killing two construction workers, have notified possible litigants that a determination of responsibility for the blaze awaits further investigation by Denver fire inspectors.

Because the cause of the blaze has not been settled, the owners of Emerson Place Apartments, and their respective insurance providers, “do not acknowledge that they are responsible for the alleged damages that prospective claimants purport to have sustained,” according to Matt Moseley, spokesman for Allante Properties, the Greenwood Village company developing the five-story, wood-frame apartment complex in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood.

The cause of the March 7 fire at 1833 Emerson St. remains under investigation. The three-alarm blaze killed two men and injured six people. It also destroyed about 30 vehicles and damaged 13 nearby buildings.

“A cause of the incident has yet to be determined,” the notice says. “Accordingly, the owner and its affiliates, and their respective insurance providers, do not acknowledge that they are responsible for the alleged damages that prospective claimants purport to have sustained.”

The notice further advises that if any claimant wishes to inspect the site, they have until Friday to do so.

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Men killed in North Capitol Hill fire remembered as skilled craftsmen who were adored by their families /2018/03/20/denver-north-capitol-hill-fire-victims/ /2018/03/20/denver-north-capitol-hill-fire-victims/#respond Tue, 20 Mar 2018 22:19:50 +0000 /?p=2988963 The two men killed in a March 7 fire at a Denver construction site began their trades as teenagers and were hired onto bigger projects through hard work and craftsmanship, their families said Tuesday.

Dustin Peterson, 37, started working with an electrician during summer breaks as a teenager and translated his math skills into a challenging profession, his parents told The Denver Post in an interview.

Roberto Flores-Prieto, 29, found a job with an insulation company shortly after he immigrated to the United States as a 16-year-old, said his wife, Evette.

Both men were working at the construction site of a new apartment building on Emerson Street when it caught fire. The fire injured six, destroyed the building, damaged 13 other buildings and burned about 30 parked cars.

On Tuesday, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Denver fire Chief Eric Tade met privately with the men’s families. Hancock offered his condolences and vowed to conduct a thorough investigation.

“They said they were going to be right there on the investigation until the end,” said Maureen Peterson, Dustin’s mother. “That’s what we needed to hear. It’s so important to us to know what happened and why it happened.”

Roberto Flores-Prieto and family
Photo courtesy of the family
Roberto Flores-Prieto and family

The families said they have been amazed at the community support since the fire. On Friday, dozens of firefighters and police officers attended a vigil at the scene. The families said they appreciate the effort that firefighters made to save as many lives as possible.

“I’m so thankful they tried,” Evette Flores-Prieto said. “There could have been so much more loss.”

Flores-Prieto also is survived by his 7-year-old son, Isaac, and his 2-year-old daughter, Mikaela. His parents, Dolores Flores-Rodriguez and Silvia Prieto-Flores, live in Mexico. They are trying to travel to Denver for his memorial service but have not been able to obtain travel visas, Evette Flores-Prieto said.

Roberto Flores-Prieto, who was in the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship, was a loving father who played games with his son and daughter and was a “lively and unwavering Denver Broncos fan,” his wife said.

Dustin Peterson was the oldest of Maureen and Mike Peterson’s four children. His siblings — Dan, Amanda and Hannah — all looked up to their brother, Mike Peterson said. Dustin enjoyed snowboarding and fishing on Saturday mornings.

“We had just made plans the week before to get out on Saturdays and do our fishing thing,” Mike Peterson said.

Colleagues told the Peterson family that a lift had been provided for their son so he could escape the fire, but he had turned around after hearing someone else calling for help. They believe he died trying to help someone, and they said it would have been his nature to do so.

“He was always worried about other people,” Mike Peterson said.

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Men killed in massive North Capitol Hill construction fire identified by coroner /2018/03/14/denver-capitol-hill-construction-fire-bodies-identified/ /2018/03/14/denver-capitol-hill-construction-fire-bodies-identified/#respond Wed, 14 Mar 2018 23:03:21 +0000 /?p=2983327 The Denver coroner on Wednesday officially identified the two men killed when a five-story apartment caught fire March 7 in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Roberto Flores Prieto, 29, was found dead in the building at about 3:52 p.m. on the day of the fire. His , noting that he was the father of two young children. They said he was working on the fifth floor of the building at 1833 Emerson St. when the fire broke out and was unable to escape.

The second man killed in the three-alarm fire was identified as Dustin Peterson, 37. His body was found Thursday afternoon. A said that a lift was available for him to jump to safety.

Peterson’s mother, Maureen, said her son was on the third floor when the fire started.

“They put a lift right next to the building for him to get on,” she said. “And everybody heard someone screaming from inside. Dustin turned around and went back in.”

 Peterson’s brother, Dan, told Denver7.

The coroner said in a statement that autopsies were performed, but the cause of death for the men remains under investigation.

A vigil for Prieto and Peterson is planned for 7 p.m. Friday near the corner of East 18th Avenue and Emerson Street.

The massive fire also injured six other people, damaged 13 buildings and destroyed about 30 cars that were parked nearby.

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8 buildings remain uninhabitable at scene of North Capitol Hill construction site fire /2018/03/12/north-capitol-hill-construction-fire-update/ /2018/03/12/north-capitol-hill-construction-fire-update/#respond Mon, 12 Mar 2018 19:34:54 +0000 /?p=2980684 Firefighters have completed gathering physical evidence from the scene of a large fire that burned an apartment complex under construction in North Capitol Hill, Denver Fire Department Chief Eric Tade said.

Fire crews will now begin forensically examining the evidence as they search for what caused the building near East 18th Avenue and Emerson Street to catch fire Wednesday afternoon. Two people were killed, and six other people were hurt.

Fire damaged 13 buildings, according to Andrea Burns, communications director for Denver’s Community Planning and Development office.

Businesses and residents have been allowed back into five of the damaged buildings, Burns said. Those are the buildings farthest from the fire. Eight buildings still don’t have power, water or gas, she said.

“Those buildings have multiple businesses and residents inside them and cover multiple addresses,” Burns said.

The city is requiring those buildings to go through a high-level assessment that includes inspection of electrical wiring and a general environmental safety analysis.

As part of the fire departmentap forensic examination, evidence will be sent to a fire lab where investigators will look for fire patterns, including pour patterns.

Such patterns can tell investigators what direction a fire moved and eventually where it started.

Even small bits of evidence can be gathered to help determine a fire’s origin and cause.

Tade said in unrelated fires a single match has been found in the burned rubble and after being scientifically analyzed, determined to have started a fire.

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OSHA launches North Capitol Hill fire investigation, advocates lob accusations of under-the-table labor, unsafe work environment /2018/03/09/denver-north-capitol-hill-fire-federal-investigation/ /2018/03/09/denver-north-capitol-hill-fire-federal-investigation/#respond Sat, 10 Mar 2018 02:40:05 +0000 /?p=2978172 Federal workplace safety officials have visited the scene of Wednesday’s deadly construction site fire in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood and launched what is expected to be lengthy investigation into what happened there.

“I can tell you that we are working with the fire department investigating this fire and looking at (the contractors’) overall safety and health program,” Herb Gibson, Denver area director for the Occupation Health and Safety Administration, said Friday. He estimated it would be months before conclusions are reached.

Local labor organizers, meanwhile, question the safety protocols at the site where crews were erecting the five-story Emerson Place Apartments complex before the devastating fire erupted, killing two workers and injuring six others. Those organizers say there is evidence at least one subcontractor employed workers who were paid under the table and not signing daily work logs, making it hard to account for everyone on site.

The Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters responded to the fire scene Wednesday afternoon to assist workers who had evacuated, union special representative Mark Thompson said.

“When I approached the foreman for United Builders Service, I asked him how many workers he had on his crew. He looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘I don’t know,’ ” Thompson said at Friday’s rally. “This is unacceptable. We pray there are no other workers missing, but how can the professionals be certain without an accurate count to start with?”

Two bodies have been found. A GoFundme page set up Thursday identified Roberto Flores as one of the dead, though that has not been confirmed by officials.

Originally three missing persons reports were filed, but officials determined two reports concerned the same man, Denver Fire Department Capt. Greg Pixley said. There is no indication anyone else is missing, Denver police say.

United Builders Service issued the following statement: “We will be eternally grateful to our heroic superintendent who risked his life by running back into the burning building up to the third floor to make sure every last one of our workers were accounted for and safely outside. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this terrible incident.”

But USB officials declined to respond to the allegation the company used workers who were being paid under the table.

OSHA had not fielded any complaints regarding safety at the Emerson Place work site prior to Wednesday, Gibson said. The project’s general contractor, , has a license in good standing, city officials said this week.

There were approximately 50 workers on the site representing eight to 10 trades Wednesday, Vertix officials said. In a written statement issued Friday, the company said it provided Denver fire officials with a full list of workers who were working Wednesday shortly after emergency crews arrived. The list included the names of the two men killed.

The company strictly adheres to labor laws, including those regarding pay for workers and workplace safety regulations, the statement says.

A site-specific safety plan was in place for the Emerson project, and all egress pathways at the building had been evaluated by an independent safety auditor and found to be compliant with guidelines prior to the fire. The statement called allegations that off-the-books workers were on the job site “patently false.”

“Vertix Builders places the highest value on the health and safety of our employees, subcontractors and the people who live and work in the vicinity of a Vertix Builders project,” the statement reads. “We are committed to determining the facts and working with investigators to establish the cause of this incident.”

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Hero in a hard hat dragged unconscious colleague to safety during North Capitol Hill fire /2018/03/09/north-capitol-hill-fire-worker-drags-unconscious-colleague-safety/ /2018/03/09/north-capitol-hill-fire-worker-drags-unconscious-colleague-safety/#respond Fri, 09 Mar 2018 18:31:47 +0000 /?p=2977932 When fire broke out at a North Capitol Hill construction site Wednesday afternoon, some workers jumped from the the upper floors of the structure to save their own lives. At least two of them were seriously injured and were stranded close to the burning apartment building before firefighters arrived.

“I heard a guy say, ‘help me!’ ” said John Raife, who was riding his bike near East 18th Avenue and Emerson Street as the fire broke out.

The man was “clearly severely injured and he was trying his best to drag his unconscious buddy away from the building,” Raife said.

Raife jumped off his bike and helped the man drag his friend a safe distance away and then ran to get help. In what seemed like just a few moments, the building was engulfed in flames.

As the fire grew, Raife said the man helped once again drag his buddy to a safer area.

“It was probably the most brave heroic thing I’ve ever seen or possibly will see and without a doubt saved the guy’s life,” Raife said.

Two people were killed in the three-alarm fire that also injured at least six other people. The fire burned so hot that 13 other buildings were damaged and at least 30 cars were destroyed.

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