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Thornton Community Helping Families Displaced By 3-Alarm Fire Ahead Of Holidays

THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) - Ornaments and Christmas lights are still hanging outside the homes on Columbine Circle in Thornton. The homes were damaged by a large fire on Friday night.

"I'm just really sad," said Todd Fields, a neighbor. "I feel bad for the family I just… it's just heartbreaking to see."

thornton house fire
(credit: CBS)

The 3-alarm fire happened in the Signal Creek community. It started at one home and quickly spread to two others, leaving two of them completely destroyed. Sabrina Iacovetta, a spokesperson with the Thornton Fire Department said dozens of fire trucks were sent to the scene. At least 13 people were displaced.

"It's probably one of the largest fires that we've had in the city," said Iacovetta.

On Friday, 9-year-old Ashlyn Gress was outside the damaged homes handing out water bottles to first responders.

Todd Thornton Fire_frame_50166
(credit: CBS)

"Who knows they might need it. They might need water. They might not have water," Gress said.

On Saturday morning, crews began searching through the rubble to find out how the fire started. Currently the cause of the fire is unknown.

"We can say that it's unintentional right now, but it's still under investigation," said Iacovetta. "Because of the size of that fire, our investigators are having to go through all of the different debris to look for the origins of that fire."

The families who lost their homes are now staying with relatives. The American Red Cross is also providing them services. The Signal Creek community is sending love and support to the families affected by the fire because it's a tragedy that can happen to anyone.

thornton house fire (1)
(credit: CBS)

"I know that the neighborhood Facebook page has put out to get gift cards and things for the families. We have a tight knit community here at Signal Creek," Fields said. "I just pray that they're OK and that they can make it through the holidays and that they have everything they need."

While no one was injured in the fire, two dogs did die, and fire officials are continuing to search for a cat. The Thornton Fire Department wants to stress the importance of fire safety as we approach the holidays, because cooking is the number one cause of house fires.

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