Cause of apartment fire not yet settled

Owners set Friday deadline for inspection, retrieval

A makeshift memorial of flowers, hard hats and reflective vests hangs from the chainlink fence surrounding the site of the massive March 7 fire that destroyed an apartment building under construction in Denver.

But while cleanup and repair efforts proceed on surrounding properties impacted by the inferno that killed two construction workers, owners of the apartment building have notified possible litigants that responsibility for the blaze has not yet been determined and set a Friday deadline for anyone who wants to inspect the fire site or try to reclaim property from the premises.

Since the cause of the blaze has not been settled, the owners of Emerson Place Apartments, and their respective insurance providers, “do not acknowledge that they are responsible for the alleged damages that prospective claimants purport to have sustained,” according to Matt Moseley, spokesman for Allante Properties, the Greenwood Village company developing the five-story, wood-frame apartment complex in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood.

The three-alarm blaze at 1833 Emerson St. also injured six people. And it destroyed about 30 vehicles and damaged 13 nearby buildings.

“It’s still under investigation,” said Denver Fire Department spokesman Lt. Ahmid Nunn. “Those type of investigations could be ongoing for months, especially the type of fire that it was. Sometimes even the simplest (questions) can take a long time to come up with an answer. With this fire, it could be weeks to months before they come up with findings.”

The fire destroyed most of the property, leaving only the elevator shaft protruding from piles of charred lumber, and no one lived on site. But contractors may want to salvage equipment left behind, said Andy Boian, another spokesman for the developers. Security will be at the scene to monitor access to the property, he added, and once the Friday deadline passes, developers will start site reclamation as soon as possible.

Developers have not decided what the future holds for the property, Boian added. Decisions will depend on the fire investigation and insurance determinations.

“There is no plan with what’s going to be done with the site,” Boian said.

Joe Amon, The Denver Post A makeshift memorial is seen Monday at 1833 Emerson St., where the cause of a fatal fire in March remains under investigation.