Drivers are being advised to avoid Leetsdale Drive through Monday, as fire cleanup is still underway after Friday’s five-alarm fire at an under-construction apartment complex. The building was at Leetsdale Drive and South Forest Street, bordering Glendale.
As of Monday, single-lane traffic was flowing in each direction, utilizing the southbound lanes of Leetsdale between Hudson Street and Forest Street. Drivers should expect delays, according to the city.
Officials also are urging large commercial vehicles to detour via Colorado Boulevard, Evans Avenue and Quebec Street to avoid the area.
The city has not said how long the cleanup will affect drivers.
The Denver Fire Department said 156 firefighters from multiple departments were on scene Friday night, but the fire spread rapidly "due to the stage of [the building’s] construction." The cause is under investigation. Construction sites often are especially vulnerable to fire because timber framing is exposed.
Robert Murphy, division chief of operations for DFD, said the five-alarm fire was the biggest he had seen in his 30-year career.
“It's major," he said, according to The Denver Post. "I can't tell you the last time in Denver we had a ... fire this big.”
The apartment project is named Harker Heights — a 238-unit multifamily community, according to Embrey, the development company.
