DENVER — Two homes in Green Valley Ranch were damaged in a fire that spread from a backyard Friday afternoon.
Crews responded to the fire after 3 p.m. Friday near East 44th Place and Biscay Street in the Green Valley Ranch neighborhood.
The Denver Fire Department said there was a report of weeds on fire in the backyard of one of the homes that quickly spread to both houses. Crews were able to get the fire under control within 15 minutes, with no injuries to anyone involved.
No one was home at the house where the fire first started, but James Kornse and his wife were in theirs next door.
"My wife, just all of a sudden I hear her say, 'James, fire fire, there's a fire,'" Kornse recounted.
While everyone is safe, the family is now grappling with the extent of the damage.
The 20-foot flames Kornse said he saw earlier left behind a pile of rubble. The family of six lost all their bikes, a shed that held their tools and home equipment, and a portion of their house is now scorched black.
"That's my son Caleb's and Isaac's room... I mean, that's their livelihood," Kornse said, pointing to his sons' room.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation; however, Denver Fire said there was a barbecue grill that was completely scorched at the house where the fire started. Denver Fire said arson crews will investigate.
Kornse himself was trying to assess the damage, taking pictures for insurance, uncertain about the cost of repairs.
"Now you kind of look at it and it's like, okay, what next? So it doesn’t feel good. For sure," Kornse said, trying to process the events of the day.
To help with their recovery, the family has started a GoFundMe campaign.
"Happy Friday," Kornse said with a half-smile. "I have to joke around with this right now because it's driving me nuts. It's a lot of things going in my head.
> Video below: WATCH: Neighbor captures houses catch fire in Denver neighborhood
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