Apartment fire west of Denver displaces 30 people; Started by unattended space heater, officials say

Around 30 people have been displaced after a fire tore through an apartment complex west of Denver on Saturday morning.

The fire was reported around 7 a.m. near North Lamar Street and West 13th Avenue in Lakewood. Three cats and a parrot were rescued from the fire, but one died, according to West Metro Fire Rescue. Video posted by the fire department shows one of those cats being reunited with its owner.

By 8:30 a.m., the fire was extinguished and firefighters were monitoring the scene and looking for hot spots. 

The fire appeared to have started on one of the upper-level apartment units, with more damage visible from some of those second-floor units. Fire officials also said initial 911 calls reported seeing smoke and flames emanating from an upper unit.

One neighbor, holding his pomeranian named Bigsby, described the chaotic scene early in the morning.

"Woke up around 6 (a.m.) to some guys screaming about a fire and banging on doors," he told CBS News Colorado. "I went to look and there was a fire going on on the balcony next door."

The man, who didn't give his name, got several of his own pets out of his apartment and then ran to an adjacent building to grab a fire extinguisher, doing what he could until firefighters arrived.

"Grabbed one under the sink and just tried to take out the fire and prevent it from getting over as much as possible," he said.

Investigators later said the cause of the fire was an unattended space heater.

The American Red Cross is now helping those displaced residents.