THORNTON, Colo. — Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused an apartment building in Thornton to catch fire just before 2 a.m. Wednesday.
At least three units were destroyed or damaged in the fire in the area of 104th Avenue and York Street. Everyone inside the building managed to make it out safely thanks to their neighbor, Phil Taylor.
Taylor said his daughters, ages 10 and 13, were asleep when they heard crackling. Once they opened their eyes, he said, they noticed the balcony was on fire and immediately woke up the rest of the family.
“I saw the biggest flame of my life,” Taylor said. “The whole balcony was in flames.”
What happened next was caught on a neighbor’s Ring camera. The video shows Taylor rushing to get his family out of the building while banging on the door of every unit he passed.
“I was beating on doors,” he said. “My daughters were beating on doors.”
Taylor did not join his family outside. Instead, he stayed inside the burning building and continued knocking on doors.
“I was doing all the screaming and yelling,” Taylor said. “I was making sure everybody knew what was going on. If I didn't see them leave, I was beating harder.”
The video shows him frantically running throughout the three-story building, knocking on doors and helping families escape. Taylor said he knew what he was doing was dangerous, but his instincts took over.
"We didn’t hear any alarms until the firetruck showed up," he said.
Taylor and his family lost everything except the clothes they were wearing. They're staying at a nearby hotel, but will have to move out in the coming days.
“We’re just waiting for a place and then start we’ll Christmas all over,” he said.
Through all of this, Taylor hasn't stopped working. His employer, FullSpeed Automotive & Grease Monkey, surprised his family Sunday with a $10,000 check to help them through this situation and to replace some of the Christmas gifts they lost in the fire.
“We have a strong people-first culture at FullSpeed Automotive & Grease Monkey, and for us to find out that Phil went above and beyond to get his neighbors to safety moved all of us, as this heroic act was the epitome of putting other people first,” said a company spokesperson. “On top of that, after such a traumatic ordeal, his primary concern was getting back to work to make sure his customers were still getting the services they needed. That is a true testament to his character, and it exemplifies our people-first culture.”
Grease Monkey is hosting a gift drive for Taylor and his family at the location on East 104th Avenue in Thornton.
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