DENVER — Firefighters battled a large fire at the same site of an explosion last August that injured seven people. Crews responded to the area Santa Fe Drive and West 4th Avenue just before 5 a.m. Friday, according to Denver Fire.
The building is abandoned and so far no injuries have been reported, Denver Fire said.
"We will do a more thorough search once it's safe to go in there, but it's an abandoned building," said Bob Kmak. "It's been deemed abandoned. It's unsafe to go in. So we're going to make it safe before we can go inside and look."
There's no word on what may have caused the fire, but Denver Fire said the gas line at the building was capped by Xcel Energy following the explosion at the site last August.
They also said that it is very unlikely that the fire sparked spontaneously due to overnight rain making the area wet Friday morning.
"The only residual effect [from the explosion] is the structural integrity of the building we're fighting now," Kmak said.
Northbound Santa Fe Drive is closed from 3rd Avenue to 5th Avenue as a result of the fire and could be closed through the morning rush. Drivers should use northbound Interstate 25 or Galapago Street to get around.
The fire is at the site where there was an explosion in August 2018. In that incident, a multiplex at 368 N. Santa Fe Dr., exploded injuring seven people, two of them critically.
Todd Norman Perkins, 56, faces attempted first-degree murder charges and first-degree arson charges in connection with that explosion. He is accused of pouring gasoline and damaging natural gas valves throughout the unit at 368 N. Santa Fe Dr. in Denver last August. Perkins was among the injured.
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