Denver Fire Crews spent early Friday morning putting down a large structure fire in a three-story apartment complex near Empower Field at Mile High.
Denver Fire spokesperson Capt. Luis Cedillo said the building was supposed to be unoccupied at the time of the 5:05 a.m. blaze in the building at the intersection of Hooker Street and Colfax.
“The property owners had already secured the premises by locking and securing all of the entry points and windows from the exterior to prevent anybody from going inside,” Cedillo said.
Despite the building being locked, one person was discovered inside. They were transported to a hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. Cedillo said it is unknown how the person gained access to the building.
“I can't confirm that yet because we don't have a report from our arson investigators,” Cedillo said. “But, I can tell you that this person was inside and more than likely they were looking for shelter from the weather and were trying to stay warm.”
Crews were able to quickly put down the fire, which was mostly on the north side of the building.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The building once housed income-restricted apartments
The name of the apartment complex is Liberty House Apartments. It is a 46-unit income-restricted property that has been owned by the Atlantis Community Foundation since 2002.
According to its website, the non-profit organization was founded to assist individuals with disabilities in finding accessible affordable, integrated housing. It lists three properties that are already built including the Liberty House Apartments. It also lists two future properties.
Atlantis Community Foundation executive director Trinidad Rodriguez said in an email that the property had experienced significant vacancies and other financial difficulties some of which persisted since the pandemic.
“It became financially difficult to operate,” Rodriguez said. “The foundation offered a program to relocate those tenants who wanted to (move to) other buildings and has provided rental assistance to those who participated. In addition, former tenants will have the option to live in any new development.”
Plans were already in place to redevelop the Liberty House Apartments
The foundation began planning to redevelop the property in 2023 with the goal of increasing the number of income-restricted units of housing by up to 100 percent.
Liberty House Apartments has been vacant since spring 2024. According to the Denver Community Planning and Development Office, the property has been on the city’s neglected and derelict buildings list since last August.
It received property maintenance violations over the summer. Inspectors went in and boarded it up three times last fall.
Prior to the fire, the organization began investigating the possibility of demolishing the building. Rodriguez said those plans will continue.
Redevelopment plans for the property are currently under review in the concept review phase.
