Senior Living Facility In Lakewood Evacuated After Large Fire, 1 Hurt
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - A senior retirement living facility in Lakewood was evacuated overnight after a large fire, and one person was hurt. The person who was hurt is expected to survive.
It happened at the Brookdale Meridian Lakewood building, located at 1805 South Balsam Street, a few blocks away from the intersection of West Jewell Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard.
When West Metro Fire crews arrived there were big flames coming from the roof and heavy smoke shooting into the air.
This is what the first crews saw this morning as they arrived on scene of a structure fire at a senior living facility in the 1800 block of S. Balsam in Lakewood. The fire burned through the roof above a unit on the third floor. Firefighters rescued the resident inside the unit and her pet bird. At least a half dozen units are uninhabitable and those residents will be relocated. Cause of the fire is under investigation.
Posted by West Metro Fire Rescue on Friday, February 11, 2022
The fire was put out by firefighters before daybreak. A preliminary assessment showed the building has 7 units with significant damage -- 2 with direct fire damage and the rest have water damage.
One woman told CBS4 her mother lives in the building near where the fire started, and that the fire alarm woke her up.
"It was so early in the morning that she wasn't really aware. She just heard the fire alarms, realized it wasn't a false alarm, and got out as soon as she could and the fire truck showed up very quickly," Debbie Herring said. "I'm very thankful. I'm thankful that my mom is okay."
Approximately 20 residents will be staying elsewhere until the electricity and other functions are restored in the part of the building they live in. Building managers said they are working on a plan for how they will house the residents who have been displaced by the fire.
Brookdale describes itself as a "continuing care retirement community."