WESTMINSTER, Colo. – If you’d like to help the more than a dozen victims who lost their homes after an apartment complex in Westminster went up in flames over the weekend, you will be able to do so starting this Thursday.
Westminster Emergency Management officials said late Wednesday afternoon they had joined efforts with Adventist Community Services of Denver to open a local donation point for those affected by the Westbury Apartment complex fire.
The Westbury Fire Donation Center will be located at the Rodeo Market, 3915 W. 73rd Ave. in Westminster and will operate from 8 a.m. though 6 p.m., seven days a week from July 26 through August 19.
The following items are needed:
- Personal hygiene items: shampoo, conditioner, body soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair brushes, combs, shaving cream, razors, feminine hygiene products, basic first-aid kits, and laundry soap
- NEW clothing: new underwear, new socks, new jeans, new t-shirts, new sweatshirts, new jackets/outerwear, and new shoes - *these items are needed in ALL men’s, women’s, and children’s sizes*
- NEW bedding and linens: blankets, sheets, pillows, towels, and wash cloths
- NEW housewares: dishes, flatware, pots, pans, cups, cooking utensils - *disposable dishes, cups, and flatware will also be accepted*
- Food: any non-perishable food items. Pet food will also be accepted.
- Gift Cards: gift cards to your favorite grocery or all-purpose stores – increments of $20 or less are preferred
If you want to make a financial donation, you are asked to direct them to the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, or a service or volunteer organization that you know and trust. Online donations can be made at www.helpcoloradonow.org.
Fourteen people injured in total, 5 still hospitalized as of Wednesday
There were a total of 16 victims in the Westbury Apartment complex fire that happened early Sunday—five more than were initially reported, police said Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the Westminster Police Department said three people were still hospitalized in critical condition and two other people remained hospitalized in an unknown condition. Two people died as a result of the fire and nine others who had been hospitalized have since been released, police said
Westminster police additionally said Wednesday that they had spoken with three of the four people who witnesses had seen using fire extinguishers to try and put out the flames at the apartment complex. Police had asked Monday for help in finding the four people but did not release any more information about them Wednesday.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were brought in on Monday to help investigate the cause of the fire. A 69-unit building at the complex was destroyed.
The Westminster Fire Department asks anyone who witnessed the fire or knows more about its cause to contact the department at 303-658-4360. Anyone needing assistance after the fire is asked to call the American Red Cross at 1-800-417-0495.
Autopsies for the two people killed in the fire were completed Wednesday but the identities of the victims have not yet been released by the coroner's office.