DENVER — City of Denver staff said Tuesday its facilities management team was working on a "permanent solution" after an 11-year-old fell six stories out the window of a hotel-turned-shelter.
At around 2:15 p.m. Monday, the Denver Fire Department (DFD) announced via social media that firefighters were responding to the scene and added the child was awake and responsive but had multiple injuries. She had fallen and landed on a "second-story structure" that was next to the building and suffered several fractures and lacerations.
About 15 minutes later, fire officials said the child had been admitted to Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Denver
Child seriously injured after falling 6 stories from window at Denver shelter
The incident happened at the Tamarac Family Shelter, the site of the former Embassy Suites hotel in southeast Denver, which was purchased by the city in late 2023 and converted to a shelter for unhoused families as part of Mayor Mike Johnston's housing initiative.
City staff provided updates on the incident during a meeting on Tuesday.
"Even last night as we worked, the facilities management group worked last night to ensure guests were safe at our Embassy Suites," said Al Gardner, the executive director for Denver's Department of General Services.
Gardner said his team was working on a "permanent solution" to prevent the windows from being manipulated.
"Essentially went through every room to ensure that those bolts that prevent doors from opening all the way were tightened so they could not be opened from the inside," he said. "What we're doing today is making a permanent solution where we're putting in permanent bolts that can't be manipulated with screwdrivers that you can buy at the store, to go even a step further to ensure safety."
Mayor Mike Johnston said Embassy Suites removed the balconies on each window before vacating the property.
"The Embassy Suites, when they owned this, they had these little tiny balconies, tiny half circles, and they had fences around them. Embassy Suites removed the balconies and closed them with locks so that they were not accessible. That was done before we acquired the property," the mayor said. "When we acquired it, we shored up the locks. We put notices on every window in both English and Spanish saying, 'Do not open these sliding doors.'
"We had some folks who broke off the locks on those sliding systems and opened the doors even against our guidance," Johnston added. "That's how the tragedy that happened yesterday with the child, that was a room where they had broken off the lock that we'd put in. They've now found a new brand of lock that cannot be manipulable, cannot be removed by amateur effort."
For those who currently live at the shelter, Monday's incident was a hard one to shake.
"I couldn't even sleep last night. Like, I was having dreams that my kids were falling out the window, you know?" said one woman, who spoke with Denver7 under the condition of anonymity.
Facilities management vehicles were outside the shelter on Tuesday, though the woman told Denver7 she felt the effort was too late.
"The little girl's already in the hospital. It's nothing, really, can nobody do nothing about it right now," she said. "She fell out the window. There's nothing you can do about it."
In a statement issued Monday, Salvation Army officials said the city was responsible for the building's maintenance and security. However, a contract for the shelter approved by the Denver City Council last week shows the Salvation Army is responsible for the general maintenance of the building, with the city responsible for doors and windows.
"The window was a previously secured sliding glass door, fastened shut with screws and epoxy and clearly labeled do not open in English and Spanish," an official with The Salvation Army said in a statement Monday. "Unfortunately, the safety features were tampered with — contrary to The Salvation Army’s regulations and the signed guest agreement — and the door was opened."
Staff check window safeguards each week, The Salvation Army official said.
"The Salvation Army has consistently raised concerns about the safety of the windows during regular meetings with city staff and leadership," the organization added. "While we are grateful that action is now being taken, we urge the city to move swiftly and decisively to ensure these long-standing safety concerns are fully addressed to protect the families we serve."
The Salvation Army also initially said that the child was 7 years old. In a correction on Tuesday, the group clarified that the child was 11 years old.
- Read the Salvation Army's original statement from Monday below
Today at the Tamarac shelter for families, a 7-year-old child fell from a window. Thankfully, she is in stable condition and expected to be released from the hospital soon. Her family is with her and we are supporting them.
The window was a previously secured sliding glass door, fastened shut with screws and epoxy and clearly labeled do not open in English and Spanish. Unfortunately, the safety features were tampered with—contrary to The Salvation Army’s regulations and the signed guest agreement—and the door was opened.
The Salvation Army takes the safety of every family in our care extremely seriously. Tamarac provides shelter for up to 204 families, and our staff check these window safeguards weekly. We are deeply concerned by this incident.
The City and County of Denver is responsible for building maintenance and security at the Tamarac shelter. The Salvation Army has consistently raised concerns about the safety of the windows during regular meetings with city staff and leadership. While we are grateful that action is now being taken, we urge the city to move swiftly and decisively to ensure these long-standing safety concerns are fully addressed to protect the families we serve.
We remain committed to maintaining safe and supportive shelter for families in need and to working closely with our city partners to prevent future incidents.
Denver7 asked for an interview with the Salvation Army on Tuesday, but a spokesperson responded, "We don't have more to share at this time."
Hours later, The Salvation Army spokesperson told Denver7, "The Salvation Army met all responsibilities within our purview to ensure the windows were secured and guests were informed they should remain closed." They went on to say the windows at the shelter were sealed, and there were warning stickers on the windows in both English and Spanish. Units are also inspected before guests move in and regularly inspected during their stay, including an inspection of the sealed windows to ensure they remain secure, according to The Salvation Army.
"The Salvation Army and the City will continue working together to ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone staying at the Tamarac shelter," the spokesperson said Tuesday.
Denver7 reached out to the City and County of Denver about Monday's incident, particularly the Salvation Army's comments about raised concerns. A spokesperson with the city's Department of Housing and Stability didn't directly answer that question, and instead provided the following statement:
We were saddened to learn of Monday’s incident and send our thoughts and hopes for a speedy recovery to both the child and her family. All rooms at the Tamarac Family Shelter are equipped with safety measures to ensure windows cannot be fully opened. This design works properly so long as the windows are not tampered with. Safety will always be our top priority, however, at this time we have no reason to believe this is anything more than a terrible and unfortunate accident.
