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Fire Claims Life Of Bedridden Man, Family On Social Security Loses Everything

DENVER (CBS4) - Family members are recovering at a hospital after a deadly fire at a home in southwest Denver. One man died and firefighters had to rescue two others from the home.

The fire broke out Tuesday evening at the home on West Stanford Avenue, which is near the intersection of West Quincy Avenue and South Kipling Street.

West Stanford Avenue
(credit: CBS)

Andrade family members say they lost a brother who was bedridden inside this house due to a disease and the mother and father barely made it out with other family members.

Home video from a neighbor captured the chaos and flames that spread quickly, ravaging the Andrades' home. Lori Osenbaugh was eating dinner when the fire began roaring outside her window. She saw the Andrade family being rescued from their own home.

West Stanford Avenue Lori Osenbaugh
CBS4's Jennifer Brice interviews neighbor Lori Osenbaugh (credit: CBS)

"The neighbor who was helping with the rescue said they needed blankets, and my boys were bringing blankets out at the time, so we threw blankets over the fence and they put … one of the victims on the blankets," Osenbaugh said.

Inside were the homeowners -- a couple in their 70s -- Josephine and Ralph Andrade, along with their 49-year-old son, Ralph Junior, who was bedridden and did not survive the fire.

West Stanford Avenue
(credit: CBS)

"She was trying to help him get in the wheelchair but the fire grew so fast, right before our eyes, there was nothing that anybody could do," Osenbaugh said.

Two additional family members also made it out and are expected to be okay.

West Stanford Avenue
(credit: CBS)

"It was devastating and horrible and to think that she had to try to rescue her husband and her son and herself, I just can't imagine," Osenbaugh said.

"Our parents are retired and living on Social Security only. They have a very limited income. Our dad has dialysis daily with no transportation now. We are not only asking for money, we are asking for prayers to get through these hard times," the Andrades' daughter said on a post on a GoFundMe page she set up to help her parents.

The family says they plan to talk to the media on Thursday.

Additional Resources

To make a donation to help the family visit a GoFundMe page set up by the Andrades' daughter.

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