Here's How You Can Send Holiday Cheer To Displaced Fire Residents

LITTLETON, CO – As the holidays approach, more than 160 senior residents of Littleton's Windermere residence are out of a place to stay after a destructive early morning fire that killed one resident and sent 12 others to the hospital.

The Arapahoe County Foundation has set up an online crowdfunding site for those who want to donate to residents for their needs moving to a new home. Displaced residents for the most part had rental insurance, but extra expenses are coming in during the holidays when finances are especially tight.

The fund will pay for incidental expenses incurred by residents as they move to new lodgings, including "utility deposits, security deposits, moving and storage expenses, initial supplies of food, necessities and other needs," the foundation said. So far, almost $9,500 out of a $20,000 goal has been raised.

The City of Littleton's fire inspectors determined earlier this week that the six-story building at was uninhabitable due to fire damage and asbestos residue throughout the building. The complex, in the 5800 block of South Datura Street in downtown Littleton, had a similar fire in a different tower in 2016.

Twelve people were hospitalized with injuries during the Nov. 17 fire, including several police officers, and one person died after the early morning blaze that started in a ground-floor unit. Some people were hurt jumping from balconies, fire departments said. About 100 emergency personnel responded to the scene, including 10 engines, four ladder trucks and 13 ambulances.

The fire was declared a "mass-casualty incident" because of the number of people injured.
Resident Michael Craig Mitchell, 70, a Vietnam war veteran, died on his birthday in the blaze.

Mitchell had been living in the unit for about a month, and residents had complained several times that he had been smoking, which was prohibited by building policy, a police report obtained by the Littleton Independent said. The fire was believed to have started in Mitchell's unit.

Related: 'Uninhabitable' – Senior Building Not Safe After Fire

Related: 1 Dead, 12 Injured In Littleton Early Morning Senior Housing Fire

Image via Arapahoe County Foundation.

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