Neighbors Credited With Saving Lives As Apartments Burned
By Stan Bush
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- Neighbors and working smoke detectors are being credited for saving lives in a fire at an apartment complex in Aurora.
The fire broke out around 2 a.m. in an apartment building on E. 12th Ave. and Dallas St.
Investigators do not know the cause or exact area where the fire started at this point, due to the level of destruction inside. Arson is not suspected, but it has not been ruled out.
"I woke up at two in the morning and there was a little fire, there's a lot of smoke I'm scared. So I take out my babies and get out of here," a resident told CBS4.
Mark Komnick recorded the fire on his phone and saw neighbors grabbing ladders off a nearby truck to make their own rescues before emergency crews arrived. He heard one woman screaming that her baby was trapped inside.
"I came outside for a cigarette and then I hear a lady screaming 'My house is filling up with smoke!'" says Komnick. "It was exciting to see it as well as worried about everybody's well-being."
Five people were taken to area hospitals. Injuries range from minor to life threatening, though no one has died from the fire.
Ten people, including two children, were displaced and are now being sheltered by the Red Cross.
The investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing.
Stan Bush is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 10. Read his bio and follow him on Twitter @StanBushTV.