Fire in vacant Colorado gas station doubling as shelter for unhoused highlights concerns of neighbors
At around 10 p.m. on Monday night a fire tore through a vacant Colorado building that was once used as a gas station. The building at the corner of Alameda Avenue and Harlan Street in Lakewood was being used as a shelter.
A resident of the apartment building next door captured video of flames shooting out of the building's windows.
"Thank God the response was quick," Victor Garibay said.
Garibay didn't take the video, but he lives in the same apartment building. He and his neighbors raised concerns about people coming and going from the building several times.
"A lot of people have gone to the police have gone to the fire department and told them about the issues here -- people coming in and out. The drug use, of course. The police have come, the fire department has come but they never seem to really be able to do anything about it," he said.
District Chief Sean O'Hara with West Metro Fire says once they got inside the building, crews discovered at least a dozen tents, cooking equipment and numerous propane tanks.
"I wouldn't be surprised if somebody told me there were 20 to 30 people permanently residing in the building at that time," O'Hara said.
When they arrived, rescuers were told there were people trapped inside and crews had to navigate the makeshift shelter to get everyone out safely.
One person was pulled from the fire and taken to the hospital.
"I can't imagine how dangerous it is for them, sleeping in a building that has no lighting, no exit signs -- they don't know which way to go if it catches on fire," O'Hara said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the city of Lakewood says in part, "the city does and will respond based on complaints, which occurred twice in 2024. Because the property owner hadn't taken care of the problems, prompting complaints, the city went in and cleaned up the property in October."
For residents like Garibay, what happened there only amplifies concerns about their safety and the safety of others.
"Just safety in general," Garibay said.
A spokesperson for the city of Lakewood said the underground gas storage tanks that were used when the gas station was operative were removed in 2015.