Fire in Aurora Kills 2; 15 Injured

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9min 26sec

Two people died and 15 others were injured in a fire at Fitz Apartments overnight in Aurora. Many survivors had to jump out of windows to escape the brick building in the 1700 block of Peoria Street. Colorado Public Radio’s Pat Mack reports.

Reporter: Tayvon Lewis lives next door. He says he saw a bright yellow light coming through his window. He looked out and saw flames. A woman jumped out of a window as he got outside. Then he saw another woman with a baby at a window. The mother had no choice but to let her son fall three stories into Lewis’ arms.

Tayvon Lewis: That was the catch of my life. I’ve made plenty of catches in high school football and everything else. No catch be bigger.

Reporter: Neighbors threw rocks at windows to try to wake people. About 45 firefighters arrived and used ladder trucks to get people out. The fire happened only a block from where the suspect in the Aurora movie theater lived… and where authorities say he booby-trapped his apartment with explosives. Amber Donovan lives in the neighborhood and says she can’t stop describing what’s happened there as crazy. Does she think about moving?

Amber Donovan: Of course. It’s just not everybody has the financial ability to live where they want.

Reporter: The burnt building is also directly across from the University of Colorado Anschutz medical campus. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

[CPR Photo]