(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) said the cause of an apartment fire that displaced 50 people on Sunday, Nov. 16, was ruled accidental due to improper disposal of smoking materials.
On Sunday at around 1:30 a.m., fire crews were called to a structure fire at the Montecito Apartments on East Pikes Peak Avenue. Engine 8 arrived at the scene in three minutes to find heavy fire coming from a second-story unit, threatening the third floor and attic.
According to CSFD, firefighters immediately started searching for victims, evacuating residents, and attacking the fire. A second alarm was called due to the size of the complex and the potential for victims.
One man was pulled from the building by a tenant before CSFD arrived. The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition. A second victim, a woman, was found unconscious by firefighters in the unit that was on fire and was brought out to safety, taken to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries…