Disaster assistance center helping people from 85 units displaced by fire at the Club Valencia condominiums
Victims of Thursday's fire at the Club Valencia condominiums on Parker Road can seek resources at a disaster assistance center at Village East Elementary School.
"We have no clothing, we can't get any food, so that's why we're here to see what they can give us," says displaced resident Erika Babb, who spent Saturday at the resource center for fire victims.
"Helping people just get the necessities that they need. They're here giving away socks and underwear for people that need it," says Chris Henning, spokesman for Arapahoe County. In conjunction with the American Red Cross, the center helps connect people with financial help, and long and short-term housing. There is also an overnight shelter at the county fairgrounds that will stay open as long as needed.
Babb both lived and worked at the Club Valencia condominiums, the scene of a destructive fire Thursday afternoon.
"The balconies were caught on fire, the trees were caught on fire, the grass was caught on fire," says Babb.
South Metro, Aurora, and Denver Fire Departments responded to the fire, which started on the second floor and spread to the third. The cause is under investigation, but firefighters say the building is high risk.
"What we consider to be a high-hazard building. There's a lot of people who live there and the building was constructed at a time when fire code was different," says Eric Hurst, with South Metro Fire Rescue. He says the building has no alarm or sprinkler system, "unfortunately, that can lead to a very destructive fire which is what we saw."
Three people were taken to the hospital and others had to be evaluated by paramedics.
"Some people tripped and fell," says Hurst, "there were multiple rescues that had to be made in this fire. Some people had to be brought out through the smoke, others had to get down on ladders assisted by firefighters and Sheriff's deputies so that's a pretty traumatic thing."
Due to smoke damage and asbestos concerns, 85 units are uninhabitable, including Babb's.
"That's your home and you work for all that stuff," says Babb. "People live there 7, 10, 20 years and they just lost everything."
The disaster assistance center will stay open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday, there's also a complimentary bus that runs from there to the condos and back.
