1 dead after fire breaks out at Evergreen townhomes, deputies investigate death
One person is dead after a fire in frigid temperatures Evergreen. The fire burned in a multi-level townhome building in Evergreen, hitting a central unit most severely.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said the deceased is a woman in her 50s. The office is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
Erik Hoagland, whose girlfriend lives across the street, said the woman had lived in the complex for about 20 years. He described her as kind, outgoing and eccentric.
"I think everybody, it's fair to say, is still in a bit of shock that it happened so close and hit so close to home," Hoagland said. "She'll be missed"
Several people had to evacuate from the building, which is located on the 4000 block of Silver Spruce Lane off Little Cub Creek Road.
Once on scene, Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies went door to door to get people out of their homes. Rose Cross, who lives just a few units down from where the fire started, said she didn't know what was going on until the knock at her door.
"[The fire] was just shooting out up over that way, over the top. I thought the whole building was going to go," Cross said. "They did one heck of a job. I'm just so thankful for them."
The fire was first noticed at approximately 4:30 a.m. said Evergreen Fire Rescue's Stacee Martin. A working smoke detector in a unit next to the one where the victim was found alerted the residents who called for help.
The unit where the victim was found was heavily involved when firefighters arrived. The identity of the victim hasn't been released but authorities did confirm the victim was an adult female.
"Conditions were very intense, we were not able to make entry," said Martin.
Cold temperatures provided additional challenges. It was -11 at the time of the fire in the area, which is close to downtown Evergreen.
"Things were just freezing on us," including regulators and masks, said Martin.
Fire hoses were being thawed out early Tuesday as investigators took their first look at the destruction to figure out the cause. It will take time to pin down the origin of the fire.
The neighbor's working smoke detector was critical in alerting others to get out of the townhomes. There's no information yet on whether there was a working smoke detector in the unit where the victim died.
"Check your smoke detectors," said Martin, referencing the additional danger in potential fires as people try to heat homes by a variety of means during bitter cold temperatures.