AURORA, Colo. — A single mother from Aurora is being forced to start from scratch after a fire tore through her apartment earlier this month.
The flames broke out on Dec. 12 around 6:30 p.m. on the 4000 block of Picadilly Street, near the intersection of E. Quincy Ave.
Vanessa Moreno Mares and her two daughters, Melody, 1, and Sophia, 5, are now settling into a new apartment in the same complex — but still have a lot left to replace after losing their belongings.
"[For] Melody, it's a little easier for her since she doesn't know. Sophia says she likes her new apartment but she says she misses her house," Moreno Mares said.
Moreno said she and her daughters left their home to go to church that evening and about 30 minutes later, calls started flooding in, from her family members and fire officials.
"I never imagined that it was going to be a fire," Moreno Mares said.
South Metro Fire Department (SMFD) officials said the fire started in the kitchen, which was the only area impacted. The sprinklers went off, helping contain the flames, but damaging the rest of the family's belongings.
"Everything was just a mess. The kids' toys were everywhere, the couch in the living room was just all wet," added Moreno Mares. "It looked like the apartment was flooded. So they were trying to get the water out."
They're slowly starting over, with a few donations they've received from the community.
"Clothes for the girls, socks, blankets, it's holidays and everything, so I appreciate everything everyone has been doing for us — the leasing office getting us in a new home so quickly," Moreno Mares added.
The family still has a lot left to replace to make their new apartment feel like home again.
SMFD said the fire was ruled accidental, and caused by combustibles being too close to a heat source.
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