Two Denver families displaced from homes after devastating fire on 4th of July
By Ashley Portillo
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DENVER (KCNC) — Two Denver families’ homes were destroyed in a devastating fire late on the 4th of July in the Montbello neighborhood.
The fire started at one home near the intersection of East 52nd Avenue and Altura Street and quickly spread to another. Neighbors helped get family members out of one home and captured the moments when large flames engulfed both of the houses.
One of the homeowners, Maria Elena Garcia, was out of state visiting family when the fire started.
“I opened the doorbell camera and on the doorbell, I saw that the neighbors’ house was burning,” Garcia said.
From the camera, she saw the flames quickly spread to her home.
“I felt very helpless because I was very far away and I couldn’t come and help, do anything, talk to the firefighters or anything,” said Garcia.
Meanwhile, Hellian Robinson was celebrating the 4th of July a few houses down.
“A lot of fireworks were going off at about the time,” Robinson said. “A little bit before the fire started, it was pretty quiet. We were still sitting in the driveway and we had seen smoke.”
He said they were the first to respond to the fire and immediately called 911. He and family members began panickly knocking on the doors of the two homes to alert people inside and try to get everyone out quickly.
“We knocked on this door for the longest, and we finally had to stop because the fire started here, and it was just too close. So we didn’t know until after firetrucks got here that the people were out of town, which was a relief,” said Robinson.
Garcia said it was horrifying to watch her home burning from afar and eventually the doorbell camera cut off. She called family members and immediately booked a flight back home, but her home of nearly 24 years couldn’t be saved.
“It was everything to me,” Garcia said. “I worked to have my house.”
A home once filled with family and laughter is now filled with ashes and the smell of smoke. Most of her belongings couldn’t be saved.
“It’s not just a house, it’s one’s home. It’s the home where one has many memories,” said Garcia.
Fundraising efforts are underway to help the Garcia family.
Denver fire crews worked overnight and during the early hours of the morning to put out hotspots. No one was hurt, and the Denver Fire Department says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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