8 hospitalized after fire, explosion at Denver assisted living facility
The building is no longer inhabitable and an estimated 87 people are displaced, fire officials said.
admin
Eight people were taken to the hospital and dozens displaced after a transformer caught fire at an assisted living facility in southeast Denver on Wednesday, fire officials said.
The Denver Fire Department responded to a transformer fire near Quebec Street and Smith Way at around 11:23 a.m., said Capt. Luis Cedillo.
The address is near South Quebec Street and East Harvard Avenue and matches the Eastern Star Masonic Retirement campus, but fire officials could not immediately confirm the name of the facility.
Ten people were evaluated by paramedics and eight were taken to the hospital with unknown injuries, Cedillo said.
The building is not inhabitable and an estimated 87 people are displaced and will be taken to local hospitals or other assisted living facilities, he said.
Witnesses reported an explosion in the building before fire crews arrived on scene and firefighters found the building’s interior sprinkler system was activated.
It’s not clear how the explosion and transformer fire are connected, Cedillo said.
The fire is contained, but crews are remaining on scene to make sure it doesn’t spread to other buildings.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
