AURORA, Colo. — An Aurora construction site erupted into flames just after midnight Thursday. Crews continue to put out hotspots hours later.
The building is a planned multi-family complex off the intersection of S. Aurora Parkway and S. Addison Court. No one had moved in just yet, according to Aurora Fire Rescue. There were no injuries, AFR tweeted Thursday.
Because it was a new build, fire hydrants were limited, to water down the area. The building was so close to the highway, so firefighters set up on E-470 to get a better hold of the flames, public information officer Andrew Logan for Aurora fire said. The move shut down northbound E-470 near Gartrell Road for a time. That stretch of the highway has since reopened.
Here are some pictures from the scene earlier tonight.
— Aurora Fire Rescue (@AuroraFireDpt) December 14, 2023
This large fire had multiple residential buildings under construction.
Many obstacles for the initial arriving crews. Crews had access issues, large propane tanks to cool, aerial ladders were used for suppression. pic.twitter.com/5UpDpLqqJP
Aurora Fire Rescue tackled the fire from both the air and the ground.
Five units of the building were destroyed, AFR told Denver7 Thursday morning, so fire crews poured a lot of water onto those areas.
"There's multiple construction equipment down there. There was propane tanks that were actively burning and actually releasing. Plus the fact that there was multiple large units that were on fire. The fires that initially pulled up did a phenomenal job with being able to control that fire and keep it from spreading and to keep those tanks from actually blowing up," Logan said.
Because of the cold snap this week, firefighters had to work through slipping on ice and keeping pumps and hose lines from freezing, Logan said.
Aurora police also assisted with the large structure fire.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Denver Field Division was called in to help with the investigation, according to a news release from Aurora Fire Rescue. ATF brought in heavy equipment to dig out the debris and determine the origin and cause.
