1 person injured and displaced from Aurora apartment fire

One person sustained serious injuries and their Aurora apartment unit received "heavy damage" after a fire in the 14000 block of East Mississippi Place on Sunday morning, according to Aurora Fire Rescue.

The fire was reported just before 6 a.m., prompting a response from 17 units from Aurora Fire Rescue and Falck Rocky Mountain, AFR said.

The initial 911 call indicated that a person was trapped inside the unit. The first unit on the scene reported seeing heavy smoke and flames coming out of the front door. Firefighters got water on the fire, which was seen in the kitchen, living room, and hallway. Two firefighters went through the front door and two others went through a window, looking for the trapped resident, battling intense heat and low visibility.

Those crews found the person inside and removed them through the same window that two of the firefighters had entered. That resident, who has not been identified, was taken to a local emergency room with serious injuries, which AFR called "yellow status."

Two turtles were also removed from the unit and turned over to Animal Control, pending the resident's release from the hospital.

AFR says the fire was under control within 20 minutes of their crews' arrival and there was no fire extension into other units in the building.

The cause of the fire is now under investigation and the resident will be displaced as a result of the fire.

AFR says that keeping bedroom and other doors closed while you sleep can mean the difference between life and death in structure fires.