Grass Fire Comes Close To Denver Apartments
DENVER – A 100-acre grassfire in the Lowry area caused quite a scare Sunday afternoon as it came close to an apartment complex near the Denver/Aurora border.
“I had to run for my life as the wind picked up and crested the ridge,” said Denver resident Tim Jones.
The grass fire erupted at about 3 p.m. near East Lowry Boulevard and East Fairmount Drive. Huge plumes of thick black smoke shot into the clear blue sky as firefighters battled the fire and protected homes. The smoke could be seen all across the Denver metro area and as far away as the Tech Center.
“I could see this fire all the way down I-70 into the city, and then it was right ahead of me on 6th Avenue. I’m so glad the fire crew was able to contain this before it approached the apartments,” said Lauren Penndorf.
No structures were burned, and no one was hurt.
The fire burned heavy grass and cattails in a natural habitat area southwest of the Mira Vista Golf Course and near the Lowry Sports Complex. Firefighters said there are few roads into the area, so access was tough and that slowed their efforts to fight the fire. Getting water into the area was also a huge issue, firefighters said.
Dry conditions as well as shifting winds made the fire grow very quickly, firefighters said.
“It was fairly small, then the wind picked up and it just took off. The firefighters were down there almost immediately,” said Gary Knoller.
At one point the fire headed toward an apartment complex on the north side of Alameda Avenue, but firefighters concentrated their resources in that area and quickly knocked down that side of the fire. Shifting winds then moved the fire to the south side, and firefighters warned hundreds of people watching the blaze to get out since the fire was unpredictable.
“This whole field, for probably seven miles, was like a wall of flames — smoke billowing. Then they started pushing us back. The people were curious at first, and then it started to turn into panic a little bit. They started to say, ‘It’s moving towards us; it’s moving towards us,'” eyewitness Troy Smith said.
Most of the fire was contained by 5:30 p.m., but firefighters remained at the scene for several hours to watch for hot spots.
Residents of the apartment complex credit firefighters for getting to the blaze so quickly. If firefighters had gotten there five minutes later, the apartment complex would have gone up in flames, said 7NEWS Reporter Steve Saunders, who lives in the area.
The fire had already crossed a walking path and was heading up into a parking lot.
Firefighters from the Denver, Aurora and Southwest Metro fire departments all responded to the suburban grass fire.
There is no word yet on what started the fire, but firefighters said investigators have taken statements from three juveniles who were seen playing in the area when the fire started.
Traffic in the area was tough for most of the afternoon because of drivers slowing down to look at the action and because the smoke obscured some lanes.
