3 injured in explosion at Aurora, Colorado apartment building, forcing hundreds of residents from their homes

By Raja Razek and Dakin Andone, CNN

Hundreds of people will need to find new homes after an explosion at their apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, Saturday that injured at least three people, according to Aurora Fire Rescue.

Fire crews responded to the building along East Alameda Avenue after “reports of smoke conditions” on Saturday, the agency said on Twitter, and officials were “searching for hazards” when the explosion occurred.

Two people were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A third victim was taken to another hospital, but Aurora Fire Rescue did not detail their condition.

The cause of the explosion is unknown.

“Heavy damage occurred as the result of an explosion to the west side of the structure,” Aurora fire officials said Saturday afternoon. Authorities found “structural damage” as a result, though officials were still working to determine the extent and severity of the damage.

In the meantime, between 300 and 400 residents will need to be relocated, per Aurora Fire Rescue, like Allyson Goodwin, who lived at the building with her fiance and their son. She told CNN affiliate KCNC she was walking her dog across the street when the blast occurred in the unit across from hers, ruining her family’s home and their belongings.

“I heard a really loud boom and I said, ‘Don’t look back, don’t look back just keep walking,'” Goodwin told the station. “Like, ‘You don’t want to see what just happened.’ “

In the short term, residents were moved to a local shelter with the help of the Red Cross, Aurora Fire Rescue said. “Long term accommodations will be coordinated through (the Red Cross) based on need.”

Community members have been asked to stay away from the building.

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