WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Firefighters with the Westminster Fire Department (WFD) responded Friday to a fire at a townhome complex where an explosion had occurred two days before.
WFD said in a release that dispatchers received reports of smoke coming from a single unit at the Stratus Townhomes at 8300 Sheridan Blvd. just after 12:50 p.m. It was not in the same building as the one involved in the explosion earlier this week, the fire department said.
Firefighters were there four minutes later, WFD said, and found a smoldering fire isolated to a single unit. It was quickly extinguished and reported out at 1:12 p.m., according to the fire department.
WFD said the materials burned were on the inside of the townhome and it was the only one that was damaged. No one was in the townhome at the time of the fire, the fire department said, and no one was hurt.
The cause is under investigation, according to the release, and WFD said there is no evidence that the fire was caused by mechanical equipment.
WFD said firefighters have responded to that location "a number of times" this week for reports of smoke and smoldering debris. They found that third-party contractors hired by property management were working in the building where the explosion Wednesday happened, but the cause and origin of that fire have not been determined. Because of the large size of the building, WFD said, that investigation is expected to take several weeks.
Early Tuesday morning, an explosion also destroyed a house in the 7700 block of Knox Court and left one man dead.
WFD said there was another fire at the same location in April of 2021. The home was boarded up after the fire and the natural gas, electricity and water were shut off, according to WFD. The fire department said many neighbors have come forward since the explosion, saying there may have been people occupying the home despite its lack of utilities. WFD said investigators are looking into alternative heating devices being used inside the home as a possible cause of the explosion. The fire department said that investigation is expected to take several more days.
WFD said there is no preliminary evidence linking the three fires, and that there is no reason to believe there is any unusual risk to the community.
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