Denver fire: Five people including three children found dead in suspected arson attack
‘Our heart and our prayers go out to this community,’ says captain Greg Pixley
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Denver authorities have opened an investigation into a fire that killed five people in a suburban house in the city.
The Denver Fire Department were called to a Green Valley Ranch home at 2:40am on Wednesday morning, after a local police officer alerted them to the burning building.
“Officers quickly determined there were people in the home,” Joe Montoya, chief of the Denver Police Department’s investigations division, said in a press conference on Wednesday morning.
“There was a valiant effort to try to pull people from the home. They were unable to save some of the individuals that perished in the fire.” he added.
Although he did not elaborate on what the department had found, Mr Montoya told reporters that the authorities have “indication through some evidence that it was arson”.
The victims’ bodies were discovered after the fire had been extinguished and Denver Fire Department captain Greg Pixley told the AP that they believe they were three adults, a toddler and an older child.
Three other people were able to escape the fire by jumping from the house’s second floor, but their current conditions are unknown, according to the Associated Press.
The family who lived in the house are believed to have come to the US from Senegal a few years ago and other people from the city’s Senegalese community gathered outside their home on Wednesday.
Many of them said that they will wait at the house until the bodies are removed from the residence, according to The Denver Post.
One of the people waiting outside, Ousman Ba, told the Post that he does not understand why the house would be intentionally set on fire, and asked: “What would our community do to be a target?”
Mr Pixley praised the fire department for their work keeping the fire under control and stopping it from spreading to other houses in the area, and said: “We’re very lucky in that respect because this fire could have been far more significant, affecting far more people.”
He added: “This is a devastating time for Denver and this community. Our heart and our prayers go out to this community.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments