Fire Destroys Apartment Building In Fort Collins
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - A fire at a construction site spread to a four story building early Monday morning in Old Town Fort Collins, forcing residents from their homes and shutting businesses.
The fire heavily damaged the four story Penny Flats Building 3:30 at 311 N. Mason St., near the intersection of Maple and Mason. Fire crews say the fire started in a building under construction just to the north.
The ground level of the Penny Flats building is businesses, with condos upstairs. It was built only a few years ago.
Firefighters said a big challenge in battling the fire was that the fire was burning in the attic above the top level condos. They used four ladder trucks and pumped water at 4,000 gallons a minute into the burning building.
Residents Billy and Kelsey Miles and his wife live on the second floor and told CBS4 they heard an explosion. They said they don't know what's left of their condo.
"We immediately got out of bed and opened our master bedroom blinds and saw all these flames and our windows cracking and melting and we just got out of bed, got dressed, got our stuff, got our dog and got out," Kelsey said.
"I pounded on everybody's door, waking them up. Our alarm hadn't gone off yet in our place. And we just grabbed what we could and got the hell out of there," Miles said.
Ash from the fire spread several block from the site of the fire. CBS4's Northern Newsroom reporter Mike Hooker said some outdoor cafes in Old Town had ash and soot on their tables.
No one was hurt in the fire. So far it's not clear how the fire started.
