A massive fire broke out in Denver, Colorado, engulfing an entire apartment block.
The fire, which started on Friday evening at around 6.45 p.m. local time, injured one firefighter and footage and images of it circulating on social media show a building in flames.
The Denver Fire Department said on X that it was a five alarm fire, which indicated it was severe and that it necessitated the deployment of full resources.
Newsweek reached out to the Denver Fire Department by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
The outbreak of fire will spark safety concerns for those living in the area. Meanwhile, it has caused a firefighter to be taken to hospital and residents to be evacuated from their homes, causing widespread disruption to their daily lives.
What To Know
Over 100 firefighters worked to put out the fire, according to multiple media outlets, citing the Denver Fire Department.
Footage of the fire shows plumes of smoke rising from buildings and police vehicles on the scene as well as firetrucks shooting jets of water in an effort to control the blaze.
Authorities issued an evacuation order covering 20 residential blocks in Denver.
Meanwhile, the American Red Cross of Colorado opened an emergency shelter for people who needed to evacuate.
No other injuries have been reported, according to multiple reports. The cause of the fire has not yet been reported.
Meanwhile, this all comes comes after the National Weather Service issued an extreme wildfire warning in another area in Colorado, Boulder. However, there is no suggestion that the Denver fire was linked to weather conditions.
The Denver event also follows a huge fire at a a Swiss ski resort on New Year’s Eve that killed at least 40 people, and injured more than 100. This fire was likely caused by a sparkler from a Champagne bottle, officials have confirmed.
What People Are Saying
Robert Murphy, operations division chief for Denver Fire Department, told Denver7: “There was a little bit of wind when this fire first came in. A fire of this size actually generates kind of its own mini wind and starts pushing those embers out. When I arrived, those embers completely covered my car. That has since died down. That was when the fire was at its peak.”
“The damage is massive,” he added. “I am not a building engineer, but there is a lot of fire and it is running completely through that building. As you can see, we have water pouring in from every angle that we can, trying to knock that fire down.”
Denver Fire Department posted on X: “One firefighter injury reported. Firefighter was transported to Denver health.”
What Happens Next
More information about the fire will likely be made available in the days to come.
