MESA COUNTY, Colo. — One person died and multiple people were displaced after an explosion reportedly started a fire in a small apartment complex in Palisade on Friday morning.
The Mesa County Sheriff's Office released the latest information on this fire on behalf of the Palisade Fire Department and the Palisade Police Department.
Just before 1 p.m., the sheriff's office shared that the first report of the explosion came in at 7:15 a.m. The person reported it had happened at an apartment complex along the 900 block of Iowa Avenue in Palisade.
By the time first responders arrived, they found a six-unit apartment complex was engulfed in flames. Based on initial reports, they learned one person might have been trapped inside, but they were not able to confirm if that was true, the sheriff's office said around 1 p.m. At 3 p.m., they confirmed that one person had died in the fire. They have not been identified.
Within about 90 minutes, firefighters had extinguished the fire. The building is a total loss, the sheriff's office said, and six displaced people were transported to the Palisade Community Center for help and to learn about next steps moving forward.
The cause and origin of the fire is not yet known. This remains an active investigation. No other details were immediately available.
Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including the Palisade Fire Department, Clifton Fire Department, Grand Junction Police Department, Palisade Police Department, Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and Debeque Marshal’s Office. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Division of Fire Prevention and Control, and Xcel Energy were also at the scene.
