2 killed, 4 injured in fire at assisted living facility near Denver

Two people have died and at least four others were injured in a fire that broke out at an assisted living facility in a Denver suburb, according to South Metro Fire Rescue.

The fire was first reported around 2:30 a.m. at We Care Homes of Colorado, 6610 South Oneida Court in Centennial near East Arapahoe Road and South Quebec Street. Fire crews said that, of the eight people in the building, six people were taken to the hospital. Two of those people died of their injuries, SMFR said at around 8 a.m.

"Within less than two hours, firefighters were able to get the call, get on scene, evacuate, transport, get the fire put out, and now they're in their investigations phase," South Metro Fire PIO Tate Owen said earlier in the morning.

Investigators later said that the preliminary cause of the fire has been ruled accidental. Fire officials say the fire was started by the "improper disposal of smoking materials outside."

The fire has since been extinguished and crews are starting to clear the scene.