ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — A man displaced by a deadly apartment fire in Arapahoe County Saturday morning was reunited with the pets he feared didn't survive.
One person was killed and several others injured, including two firefighters, in the two-alarm fire that broke out around 4 a.m. in a building at the Ivy Crossing Apartments, located at 2470 South Quebec Street in unincorporated Arapahoe County.
Twenty-three units were displaced. Red Cross has been helping the dozens of families who were impacted by the early morning fire, which the cause is still under investigation.
Denver7 spoke with residents who are now displaced and still in shock.
Ahmad Nyazi, who has lived at the complex for three years, said he was not home at the time because he was taking care of his girlfriend at the hospital overnight.
"My girlfriend just had surgery for breast cancer," he said.
He returned Saturday morning to find out that he was one of dozens of residents who are now left without a home.
When Denver7 was at the scene, Nyazi was desperate to find out if his pets — two cats and two chinchillas — had survived. He was not being allowed back inside his apartment.
"I'm really worried. My whole life is in there," Nyazi said. "I just want to know what happened to them," he said, while fighting back tears.
Denver7 was able to reach out to South Metro Fire Rescue officials to help him reunite with his pets, which all four had survived.
"You guys absolutely helped. I wasn’t able to talk to anybody. They’re safe. They’re semi-healthy seeming. I just got to get them checked out," he added.
SMFR said when the building was built, developers were not required to install sprinkler systems or full-building alarm systems.
Prior to the fire, they said their fire marshal's office had been working with property management to retrofit full-building alarm systems for better notifications.
