ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. Everybody inside a home was able to safely escape after a garage caught fire late Tuesday evening.

South Metro Fire Rescue said it responded to the 11000 block of E. Crestline Circle around 10:30 p.m. By 11 p.m., the fire was under control. In addition to the garage, it also partially burned the home.

In the video below, see more video of this fire from South Metro Fire Rescue.

All four people inside the home evacuated. One of them was evaluated at the scene by a medic. Arapahoe County Victims Assistance is assisting them with accommodations.

Three cars were inside the garage, including one hybrid vehicle. That car was pulled out of the garage as a safety precaution, South Metro Fire Rescue said.

Thirty-nine people with South Metro Fire Rescue responded to the scene, the agency said.

As of 8:15 a.m., crews were looking for hotspots.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Avi Schwalb, an Aurora landlord who was also convicted of defrauding dozens of contracting customers earlier this year, will now owe two of his tenants more than $180,000.

Schwalb owns several apartment complexes in Aurora and was sued last year by the American Civil Liberties Union after he allegedly threatened an immigrant family based on their status in the country and locked them out of their apartment.

It's totally illegal in Colorado, said Annie Kurtz, senior staff attorney with the ACLU. You can't just take matters into your own hands and force someone out of their apartment.

A court judgment handed down May 15 stated that Schwalb showed malice, insult and wanton disregard for the plaintiffs rights and human dignity. They awarded the tenants $182,900.

The ACLU sued Schwalb for violating the states Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, which forbids landlords from requesting information about a tenants immigration status and disclosing or threatening to disclose that information to anyone, including immigration enforcement or law enforcement. It also does not allow intimidating, harassing, or retaliating against a tenant for asserting their rights.

Last month, Schwalb was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was convicted of 47 criminal charges of theft, money laundering, and violating the states organized crime act, related to a contracting scheme involving his sons business, Schwalb Builders.

Records show he is currently at the Sterling Correctional Facility.

Denver7 Investigates has reported on the Schwalbs and Schwalb Builders for more than two years.

Avi Schwalb also declared bankruptcy in May 2025, which held up the ACLU lawsuit.

Now the tenants, who are referred to as John Doe and Jane Roe, in the lawsuit, will become creditors in the bankruptcy.

Kurtz said the ACLU will do everything it can to make sure they receive the money.

I hope it sends a very loud and clear message that this kind of conduct will not be tolerated in Colorado, she said.

Its a weekday afternoon on East Colfax Avenue in Aurora, and community members like Raynalia Crawford are taking matters into their own hands.

Denver7 met Crawford as she was on her way to hand out burritos to people experiencing homelessness.

She told Denver7 she wants to see more community engagement in the area.

"We just need the people able to come out and not be afraid, to come to this area because of the location," Crawford said.

Support and resources for Auroras unhoused community was one of the key topics at Aurora Mayor Mike Coffmans annual State of the City address Tuesday, outlining key priorities for the year ahead including homelessness, public safety, infrastructure, and economic development.

Coffman pointed to the city's Aurora Regional Navigation Center as a model for addressing homelessness, describing its three-tier, work-first approach designed to move residents from emergency shelter into stable employment and housing.

"I believe it will be an example, not just for Colorado, but for this country," Coffman said.

Watch Adria Iraheta's report in the player below:

Public safety was another top priority Coffman highlighted. Aurora residents echoed that focus.

Jeff Larsen, who gets around Aurora by bicycle, said he wants the Aurora Police Department to crack down on dangerous drivers.

"People slowing down in their cars," Larsen said. "That's why I'm on the sidewalk, and I say on the right or the left when I'm riding."

Larsen also called on city leaders to address the rising cost of living.

"They need to put a stop to them raising the rent all the time," Larsen said.

Coffman also outlined the Build Up Aurora initiative, looking at long-term solutions for critical infrastructure projects.

Among the infrastructure needs cited: the Peoria Street bridge, built in 1966 with a 40-year lifespan, now 60 years old, with an estimated replacement cost of $35 million.

The address also touched on the creation of a Downtown Development Authority along the East Colfax corridor, a rental licensing and inspection program, a youth empowerment center, workforce training initiatives, and a low-interest loan program for immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs.

Coffman closed his 2026 State of the City address on an optimistic note.

"Our council can work together to rise above the broken politics of today to achieve a bold vision for our city," Coffman said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Construction on the final leg of the East Colfax Avenue Bus Rapid Transit project broke ground Friday in Aurora, with crews starting at Yosemite Street and moving east toward Interstate 225.

The new segment marks a significant design departure from the Denver portion of the project. Rather than running in center lanes, Aurora's BRT will operate in outside lanes a decision Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said was informed by watching construction unfold in Denver first.

"We were lucky that they started first, that there wasn't a question... that simply was not the way to go," Coffman said. "It is disruptive to the local businesses. Ours will not be very disruptive at all to the local businesses."

WATCH: Denver7's Adria Iraheta took a trip to East Colfax as construction begins

The groundbreaking was marked by the signing of a bus at a press event. The overall Colfax BRT project is now just over halfway complete.

One local business owner will now watch BRT construction unfold for the second time.

Sean Buchan, owner of Cerebral Brewing, has had a front-row seat to the project's impact. His Congress Park brewery has been affected by construction for over a year, and his second location sits on Colfax and Florence in Aurora a stretch he has long called home.

"The difficult thing is, there's no preparing for it, because it really just it comes at you, and you can't affect it in any way. So really, we're just going to see how it affects us down there, like we did here," Buchan said.

And while it may be hard for businesses to prepare, Aurora is taking a different approach to how it supports those businesses throughout the construction.

Denver has offered microgrants to businesses in construction zones. Auora is instead forming a Downtown Development Authority to manage redevelopment along the corridor.

Coffman said the authority will allow the city to reinvest tax revenue directly into the area.

"Will be able to keep all the tax revenue in this corridor beyond the current level, to focus on revitalizing the area," Coffman said.

Despite the uncertainty ahead, Buchan said he remains hopeful about what the project could mean for Colfax and Aurora's identity.

"I don't think Denver has been very good at public transit. I don't think this is going to be something that just all of a sudden fixes all of it, but I am optimistic that it will help a little bit," Buchan said. "There's a lot of stigma that we've dealt with over the years with just Colfax in general."

He sees the BRT as a turning point for a corridor he believes has always deserved more recognition.

"I think that that area has always been, maybe culturally, Aurora's downtown, but never been actually adopted or viewed that way," Buchan said. "And I think that this could really set that apart."

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Colorado's drought and repeated high fire danger are raising new concerns about the long-term impact on the state's water supply. Aurora Water is warning that wildfires could devastate the water supply for years after the flames are out.

Every drop of water matters right now as the Denver metro tries to mitigate the effects of this year's extremely dry winter across the state. Aurora Water's reservoir levels are currently sitting at 57%.

"We're currently in a pretty historic level of drought," Aurora Water resource specialist Matt Ashley said.

Watch this story in the video player below:

Ashley said he is not just worried about the drought.

"Wildfire really is the number one threat to our watershed health," Ashley said.

Colorado State University geology professor Ellen Wohl said the problem starts with the leftover ash and sediment after a fire.

Wohl brought up the fact that Coloradans have felt the effects of sediment runoff in the past.

For example, after the Cameron Peak Fire, the next summer, we had the black hollow debris flow in a tributary, the Poudre [River], and that created extremely high turbidity levels all the way downstream. That's when Fort Collins had to shut off drinking water intakes for a period of time, Wohl said.

That sediment can also end up settling into Colorado's reservoirs.

"You lose a lot of storage capacity," Ashley said.

It is already happening. The Strontia Springs Reservoir, shared by Aurora and Denver Water, is already 10% full of sediment from past fires. There is an ongoing effort to dredge it up, but the problem remains.

"The worst case scenario is your reservoir fills up with sediment, and you can't use that reservoir anymore, which is a huge problem because it's very expensive and takes a lot of time to build a new reservoir," Ashley said. We would have to go and build new reservoirs and find new capacity and new places to store that water, and that would just cost money, and basically, at the end of the day, increase your water bill.

Then there is contamination.

A recent study led by Ben Livneh, president of Western Water Assessment and CU Boulder associate professor of civil engineering, shows these effects stick around way longer than once thought.

"Not just for one year or two years, but sometimes for up to eight years," Livneh said.

The first-of-its-kind large-scale study of 500+ Western U.S. watersheds found that wildfires can contaminate water with organic carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment for up to eight years.

While researchers knew fire ash and soil damage affected water quality to some extent, previous studies only examined local impacts rather than regional patterns.

"It dramatically increases the cost of filtering and treating the water," Wohl added.

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, Livneh said this could be a chance for municipalities to prepare.

"This can be [through] a number of different infrastructure investments or modifications," said Livneh.

Aurora Water says its now focusing its efforts on doubling down on fire prevention efforts with partners like the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service.

"Across the board, just a whole lot of collaboration and partnership to prevent these fire issues from happening," Ashley said.

Ashley said it is also up to everyone across the Front Range to make the most of the water available.

"Definitely make sure to follow those fire restrictions. The fire bans, the fireworks bans, things of that nature," Ashley said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.