Arson Investigators Comb Through Lakewood Apartment Complex Rubble
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - Investigators have still been digging into what sparked a fire at a Lakewood apartment complex Friday night. It took firefighters almost an hour to put it out and two people were taken to the hospital.
The fire broke out at the Lakewood Estates Condominium complex on West Atlantic Place. Authorities evacuated the entire building and some people are still not allowed to go back home. Fire crews say six of the units got extensive damage from the fire.
"I'm still in shock because everything happened so fast," resident Maricla Cerpa said.
Cerpa waited on a curb to see if anything in her place was scorched.
"I'm a single parent and have to watch out of my daughter; lots of things going through my mind," Cerpa said.
A neighbor took video shortly after the two-alarm blaze broke out on the third floor of Cerpa's building. One man could be seen lying on the ground in pain.
"I was in the shower and I just heard a loud noise. My friend was calling for me. She told me, 'Maricla, you need to get out of the building, it's on fire!' " Cerpa said.
Crime scene tape surrounded the building Saturday while arson investigators searched for answers. West Metro Division Chief Gary Armstrong says it could take days.
"They're going to go in and look at everything. They're going to dig through all the rubble and use their expertise to narrow down the areas where the fire would have started, and then determine what caused the fire," Armstrong said.
All 24 units in the building were evacuated and emotions were still running high hours later. But Cerpa remembered that patience is a virtue.
"Everybody pray for us. We'll take all the prayers," Cerpa said.
Armstrong said the Colorado Bureau of Investigation will also be helping with the case.
- Written by Heather Burke for CBSDenver.com
