AURORA, Colo. — More than 100 former tenants of an Aurora apartment complex have filed a lawsuit after a portion of the building exploded two years ago.
In September 2022, an explosion at the Parkside Collective punched a hole in the building's fourth floor. Hundreds were left without a home after that blast.
"Many of them living in their car or unable to find another place to live, have to live on someone’s couch and trying to get themselves back on their feet," attorney Michael Burg said on Monday. "No one helped them. That’s why we are where we are, filing a lawsuit."
Burg represents more than 100 former tenants of the apartment complex in the lawsuit. It blames the property management company as well as a few contractors for negligence. According to the fire investigation report, electricity sparked the explosion.
The fire investigation report released to 9NEWS in May 2023 stated the smoke was caused by an electrical arc that started a fire in a conduit underneath a sidewalk. Burning PVC pipe let off gases including hydrogen, which collected in the electrical room, where static electricity sparked the explosion.
"It should be in our society that would be unacceptable, and that's why we're here, to fight for the rights of those people," Burg said.
The lawsuit blames contractors for the problems with the construction and maintenance of the electrical system that led to the explosion. It also claims the property management company failed to respond to tenants' concerns about flickering lights and tripping circuit breakers in the weeks and days prior.
"They had signs," Burg said. "They knew or should have known there was a problem. People were complaining about electrical noises or shorting out. So at that point in time, they should have gone in to fix it and make sure something like this didn’t happen."
What did happen was insult to injury. When tenants were finally able to get back inside their place, Aurora Police reported dozens of burglaries. Burg said he hopes compensation will help get people back on their feet so the dream of having a place to live isn't diminished.
"No one helped them. That’s why we are where we are filing a lawsuit," Burg added. "People should be held accountable."
The apartment complex reopened about eight months after the explosion under the name Stella on the Park. 9NEWS reached out to most of the defendants in this case and did not hear back.
Burg said there is second lawsuit against a company that provided rental insurance to dozens of the tenants. That lawsuit is in federal court.