ROXBOROUGH PARK, Colo. — A house fire that spread to two other homes prompted authorities to evacuate about a dozen surrounding structures before the wind-driven blaze destroyed two homes and damaged a third in Roxborough Park Saturday night. No injuries were reported.
The fire started at a home around 7 p.m. in the 7600 block of Jared Way in Roxborough Village, a neighborhood in the unincorporated Douglas County community.
Firefighters from the West Metro Fire District arrived to find a fully engulfed home which quickly spread to surrounding structures as a dense ember shower fell on nearby homes amid gusty winds.
"So they quickly ascertained that the people in that second house were still in the house, so they went in and got those folks out," said West Metro Fire PIO Ronda Scholting. "And then the wind, as you can tell even right now, was just howling this morning, and so there was the potential that it could carry embers to other structures. In fact, there was an ember shower going on at the time."
Authorities evacuated about a dozen homes in the area and offered displaced residents shelter at Roxborough Elementary School.
It was a frightening moment for those who live near the homes destroyed in the fire.
"I jumped up and I looked out and saw the house roof on fire," said Roxborough Village resident Jennie Norris. "So, the first thing I did was call our son because he lives three doors down. When I finally got ahold of him, they were racing around saying they had to be evacuated but they couldn’t find their cat."
Two homes were destroyed, and a third home sustained an estimated $100,000 in damages, according to West Metro Fire.
Sunday morning, crews reported the fires were still smoldering, but the hotspots were extinguished soon after. Firefighters are expected to remain on scene for most of the morning.
Investigators were on scene to attempt to get an idea of how the fire started. They determined the fire was accidental, but investigators were unable to determine the exact cause due to extensive damage. However, investigators did pinpoint where the fire started, which was on the back deck of one of the homes destroyed in the fire, Scholting said.
The group Hands Across Roxborough posted on Facebook that they would be organizing help for the displaced families.
