Colorado construction fire near E470 now being investigated as possible criminal act

A Colorado fire in southeast Aurora that caused heavy damage at the site of a multi-family apartment building under construction last week is now being investigated as being caused by a possible criminal act.

It happened in the area of the 7300 block of South Addison Court. That's just east of E-470 not far from Aurora Parkway, and the northbound lanes E-470 were closed while firefighters battled the fire. No one was hurt.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been helping Aurora authorities with their investigation. The ATF has certified fire investigators who are specially trained to try to determine where the fire originated from and what caused the fire. A team from the Denver Fire Department also brought a dog trained by the ATF to the scene to look for accelerants that might have been used by an arsonist.

Aurora Fire Rescue spokesman Carlos Oropeza said it's not clear if the Addison Court fire is connected in any way to a more recent fire at a different apartment building that was under construction. That fire happened at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Peoria Street on Saturday.