Fire crews battled fire, cold, and ice on Sunday during a second alarm fire.

On the morning of Sunday, January 5, around 1:26 a.m. a call came in reporting significant smoke and visible flames in a building on 13th and Broadway. Boulder Fire-Rescue crews 2502, 2501, and 2516 were the first to be called. By 1:39 a.m. the fire had been upgraded to a second alarm fire. All available crews and apparatuses that were on duty, were activated for this call. Crews found fire in the walls of the building and worked quickly and effectively to extinguish the fire and put out remaining embers in the attic crawl space.

Upon arrival, crews evacuated 7 residents of the building. Luckily, no injuries were sustained as a result of the fire. American Red Cross was contacted to assist those evacuated with relocation. While the building has 17 units, only 3 were occupied at the time because the main residents of the building are students who were away for winter break. Fire alarms and sprinklers played an important role in alerting residents of the fire as well as damping the fire before crews could arrive.

Fire crews worked expeditiously and safely to find and extinguish the fire in this large building while also battling the cold and ice from outside. Safety was the priority for all first responders involved as they navigated icy ladders and freezing temperatures.

Boulder Fire-Rescue dedicated considerable resources to this fire and during the incident called on Boulder Emergency Services and Mountain View Fire Rescue for support both with the incident and for the response to ongoing unrelated service calls within the city.

A fire investigator was called to the scene during the early stages of the fire response. While a cause of the fire is still undetermined, foul play and arson have been ruled out. The building has smoke and water damage as well as some structural damage as a result of the fire and will likely be closed for repairs. Additional information about the reopening of the structure and the two businesses within it should be directed to the property manager.

Boulder Fire-Rescue would like to thank Boulder Police Department, American Medical Response, Boulder Emergency Services, Mountain View Fire Rescue, and American Red Cross for their assistance during this incident.

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