"Death sentence waiting to happen": Multiple fire code violations found months before deadly apartment fire
Just a couple months before the deadly fire at the Ivy Crossing Apartments, an inspection of the complex by the South Metro Fire Rescue revealed numerous fire code violations.
On Feb. 9, an inspector found the apartments did not have fire alarm systems, portable fire extinguishers were either expired or missing, and first-floor fire doors did not latch securely.
On April 8, flames tore through one of the apartment buildings, trapping some people inside. One person was killed and nearly two dozen others are now displaced. Many of those who escaped said they didn't hear fire alarms and there weren't any fire extinguishers inside.
"I've been in this apartment complex for 20 years and this is my second fire," said Rob Foster. "Fortunately for me, I was in the bottom apartment so all I had to do was open up my bedroom window and make my way out."
But for sisters Rachael and Abigail Jones up on the third floor, it wasn't a simple escape.
"I had no other choice," Rachael Jones said tearfully. "When I was grabbing my cat, there was black smoke, and I was running into things just to get out of the apartment. I threw my cat and they said, 'It's life or death lady,' so I jumped."
Abigail said she threw her dog to another resident waiting below before she jumped. The chaos of the fiery night still haunts them.
"There are people screaming, everybody's just trying to get out of the apartment," Rachael said, choking back more tears.
"We still hear the screams in our sleep. We can't escape this nightmare, even today," Abigail added.
Two days after the fire, the sisters came back to the property hopeful to find their missing cats. Emotions were running high.
"We just lost everything," Rachael cried.
Abigail told CBS News Colorado that Ivy Crossing management has not offered them any help – only that they could break their lease or pick another unit. But to the Jones sisters, that seems like an unfair and unsafe option given the fire code violations. What they want is the management company held accountable.
"You should not be renting out units with fire code violations. This is a death sentence waiting to happen," said Abigail.
"Nobody deserves to go through this. Nobody deserves not to know where their animals are or have to jump for their lives from the third floor," said Rachael.
All the more reason why Foster plans to leave the place he's called home for decades. He doesn't want to take another chance at escaping another fire.
"Two is enough," he said. "Then there's that expression 'Everything happens in threes,' and I don't want to test it."
CBS News Colorado has made several attempts to contact BMC Investments, which owns the Ivy Crossing Apartments. Emails and calls have not been returned, and supervisors on the property have declined to comment.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The victim's identity has not been released.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the date of the fire code inspection. It has been corrected to reflected the actual inspection date.
