DENVER (KDVR) — Seventeen people are without a home after firefighters believe a space heater sparked a fire at an apartment complex in the Hampden South neighborhood on Tuesday morning.

The Denver Fire Department said that just before 4 a.m., crews responded to a structure fire at Yosemite Street and Oxford Avenue, near Cherry Creek Reservoir. FOX31’s Jim Hooley was on the scene where it appeared to be a condominium with several units with heavy smoke.

The fire department said it was a second-alarm fire and multiple units responded. Before 4:30 a.m., the department said crews had water on the fire. The department told Hooley that crews had to act fast as Tuesday’s high wind speeds could’ve caused the fire to spread.

No injuries were reported, although the fire department said 17 people were displaced and are currently staying with the Red Cross. The department told Hooley that the residents’ homes were damaged and a lot of personal items were burned as well.

Investigators believe an unmonitored space heater caused the fire.

Residents wake to smoke and flames

“I woke up at 3 a.m. and I could smell smoke,” said Chris Bigler.

He lives in the end unit with his roommate, Rose Kidston.

“It was a smell that was concerning.  That’s when I saw the flame start coming through my window. I saw my blinds disappear in the flames and realized I needed to get out of my room as fast as I could,” Kidston said.

The two were able to get some of their belongings out of the home and they say there is a lot of smoke and water damage.

The Red Cross has offered assistance to the fire victims.

“Luckily, everyone was able to get out,” said Denver Fire Department Captain Luis Cedillo.

Cedillo said the suspected cause of the fire was a space heater that was left on. He said residents need to use caution when using a space heater and keep it away from anything that could catch fire.

“They really bring it too close to items that are extremely flammable, or they forget to turn them off, and so trying to keep that radius at a minimum of three feet is always important,” Cedillo said.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that space heaters are involved in about 1,700 fires per year.

CPSC says to always plug a space heater into a wall outlet, not an extension cord or power strip.

The commission said to never leave a space heater unattended and to turn it off when sleeping.

Read the full article here: KDVR.com | by: Maddie Rhodes, Jim Hooley, Kim Posey