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Inspection reports show no problems with construction before fire at Denver townhouse buildings

Posted at 5:01 PM, May 10, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-10 20:34:43-04

DENVER – City records show Denver building inspectors visited the site of Thursday’s large construction fire five times since March. The fire destroyed two buildings that were set to become multiple town homes and damaged a nearby home.

During their visits, inspectors did not note any major problems that would have pointed to a cause of the fire, an analysis of the records by Contact7 Investigates shows.

Firefighters battled the large fire that destroyed two buildings and damaged a third near 20th Ave. and Federal Blvd. Thursday morning.

Records show ADC Construction was granted a contractor’s license in Denver in January.

The Class A license allows the contractor to build both residential and commercial construction.

“Class A contractors have extensive expertise in engineering or supervising the construction of multi-story and high-rise structures,” Laura Swartz, with Denver’s Community Planning and Development office, told Denver7.

Denver has granted 88,929 building permits since April 2017.

The city has 66 inspectors who focus on construction, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections, Swartz said.

The following is a breakdown of the number of building permits issued by month, according to the city.

Firefighters said the two buildings that were destroyed were townhouses under construction.

The development, called Denver Grove, was slated to include 14 townhouses ranging in price from $681,000 to $767,000. The development was set to open in late spring.

The third building, a home, sustained some damage. A family inside the home was able to evacuate the building safely.

There were no reports of injuries.