An early morning fire in Golden has claimed the life of one individual according to Golden Fire and Police officials.
Fire crews responded to a fire in the 17000 block of West 17th Place, a residential area near South Table Mountain.
According to neighbors, fire crews arrived around 5:30 a.m. to find the home engulfed in flames.
Longtime neighbor and Golden resident Gil Brill said he was awakened by “guys beating on the door.”
“I got up, and was kind of in a daze,” he said. “And then I saw the fire—from what I could see, there were flames coming up from the highest part of the house.”
He said the street was lined with emergency response vehicles.
Marty Quinn, who has lived in the same neighborhood for 11 years, said little was known about the home’s occupant.
“I did not know him at all, but I always thought the house was unoccupied,” he said.
Quinn went on to say the house appeared to always be in “disrepair, missing shingles and gutters falling off; didn’t know what the situation was, but it just seemed like the house was falling down around whoever was living there.”
Quinn added that there were multiple Volvo station wagons on the premises that were filled to the top with newspapers.
He said when one car was filled, another would appear.
While Brill said he was not close with the victim, he knew he worked nights at the post office and rarely had visitors.
Brill speculates that the fire was contained.
No other structures were damaged.
“It’s sad that he was in the house when it burned. I think that’s terrible,” Quinn said. “My heart goes out to his family and friends.”
Officials say the fire is still under investigation.
At 5:20 this morning Golden Fire, Fairmount, Pleasant View and West Metro responded to a single-family home on W. 17th Pl. in Golden. Fire crews reported a fully involved garage fire with extension into the attic space. The fire was extinguished, the cause is under investigation. pic.twitter.com/XBdOQ7ZbCy
— Golden Fire (@GoldenCOFire) January 13, 2022