AURORA, Colo. — One person is in custody on an arson charge, a dog was killed, and two people were displaced after a fire broke out at an Aurora apartment overnight.
Aurora Fire Rescue (AFR) said the fire was reported around 12:30 a.m. on Monday at the Abrigo Apartments near Peoria Street and E. 30th Avenue. Within two minutes, a crew was at the scene.
The fire, which was visible from a couple miles away, was burning on the east side of a three-story apartment building. With lives potentially endangered, firefighters upgraded the call to a two-alarm fire, which brought in more resources, AFR said.
"Given their fast and aggressive attack on the fire, firefighters were able to contain the fire to the third-floor apartment where the fire originated, protecting surrounding units and occupants from danger, and quickly bringing the fire under control," AFR said.
Firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, evacuate the building and search for anybody who might be trapped. Amid this, they found a dog that had died within the unit where the fire started, AFR said.
The person who lived in that unit was identified as Paul Daniel Clark. Clark had evacuated before fire crews arrived and was transported to a hospital for his minor injuries. AFR investigators determined he had allegedly set a fire inside the apartment intentionally.
Aurora police officers took Clark into custody on charges of first-degree arson, fourth-degree arson (for endangering life), and fourth-degree arson of a residence (causing $100,000 to $1 million in damage) after he was released from the hospital. In August, Denver7 took a look at the state's varying degrees of arson, and the consequences if a defendant is convicted of them.
The 17th District Attorney’s Office will determine formal charges against Clark.
The two residents who lived below Clark's unit were displaced due to water damage, AFR said.
No other details were available as of Monday morning.
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