Structure Fire Damages Apartments: No Injuries, Dog Rescued

At approximately 11:20 p.m. on Jan. 2, Boulder Fire-Rescue and Boulder Police responded to reports of a fire in the 4900 block of Osage Drive.

The first officers on scene saw smoke coming from the roof of the apartment complex at that location and began evacuating residents from more than 25 apartments. Afterward they helped residents stay warm inside their vehicles until they were able to go back into their homes. Meanwhile, firefighters located the fire in the common attic above two of the third-floor apartments and quickly brought the fire under control.

There were no injuries to any community members or first responders. Firefighters rescued a dog that was found inside one of the apartments on fire. A police officer kept the dog company, walking her and trying to coax her into a warm patrol car with Cheetos while trying to contact her guardian. Though the pup was scared by all the activity, she was not injured, enjoyed the attention from both officers and firefighters before eventually letting the officer pick her up and transport her to the Boulder Valley Humane Society until her guardian picked her up today. Video: https://vimeo.com/bouldercolorado/dogrescued

The two apartments directly under the attic fire were significantly damaged, and four other apartments suffered minor water damage. Red Cross worked with one displaced community member for needed services and shelter, and the occupant of the other uninhabitable apartment was not at home at the time of the fire. All other residents were able to return to their apartments approximately 1.5 hours later.

Although the fire remains under investigation, fire investigators do not suspect any wrongdoing or criminal intent and initially believe the fire is accidental in nature. While the apartment complex did have fire sprinklers, the fire started and spread in the attic area, above the fire sprinkler system. Working smoke alarms helped warn residents of the fire in the attic during this incident. This is a good reminder for community members to check your smoke alarms on a regular basis to ensure they are in good working order. Residents hearing the smoke alarm and then calling 911 quickly helped Boulder Fire-Rescue and Boulder Police respond to and control the spreading attic fire quickly and safely.

Boulder Fire-Rescue, Boulder Police and the City of Boulder would like to thank AMR Ambulance, The American Red Cross and the Boulder Humane Society for their help during this fire.