A fire that erupted at the Country Club Villas condominium complex near East Florida Avenue and South Parker Road left nearly 20 people injured and dozens more displaced Thursday after they were forced to jump to safety, reports CBS Denver.
Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, the Cunningham Fire District says it received reports of people trapped on the third floor, hanging out windows. When firefighters arrived at the complex, they found people yelling for help.
“They were hanging out their windows,” said Acting Lt. Dan Montez, the first Cunningham Fire District lieutenant to reach the scene. “It’s unsettling; you’ve got other people’s lives on the line.”
Some chose to jump one or two stories down to the ground because heavy smoke prevented them from escaping through hallways.
The fire began in a unit on the complex’s first floor, according to Cunningham Fire Chief Jerry Rhodes. As of Thursday morning, it was not yet clear what started the fire. Some residents say they heard a loud noise or explosion but firefighters were unable to immediately verify where the noise came from. When the fire spread, some residents say there was no choice but to jump.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but the flames are coming through the door … your only choice is to jump,” said one woman.
“It was scary and it did hurt,” said Elizabeth Ortiz, who jumped from her unit’s window along with her father and other family members.
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