Windemere Apartment Fire Helpers To Be Honored By City Council

LITTLETON, CO – First responders, helpers, volunteers and charity workers who helped residents of last year's destructive Windermere senior apartment building fire will be honored by Littleton's city council next week at a special ceremony.

Staffers from Arapahoe County, the Littleton Police Department, Love Inc., Littleton United Methodist Church, Littleton Fire Rescue, South Metro Fire Rescue, and the American Red Cross will receive a special award during the regular regular council meeting at the Littleton Center, 2255 West Berry Avenue at 6:30 p.m. The ceremony will be open to the public, the city said.

One man was killed and 13 injured during the early-morning fire Nov. 17, 2018 in the 5800 block of South Datura Street. The incident was declared a "mass-casualty incident" because of the number of people injured. All 160 residents of the apartment building were displaced and could not return to their homes because of asbestos contamination and determinations that the building was unsafe.

"These residents’ lives were turned upside down," a statement from the city said. All residents had renters insurance, the city said, but many of them had to pay a deductible before they were allowed to collect on their policies.

"Thanks to an army of volunteers and service organizations, the residents received assistance ranging from temporary housing vouchers, finding new permanent housing, working with adjusters on insurance claims, obtaining food, medicine and clothing, and emotional care and support."

About 100 emergency personnel responded to the scene, including 10 engines, four ladder trucks and 13 ambulances. Some people were injured jumping from balconies, fire departments said. Fire investigators praised members of West Metro Fire and Rescue and other helping agencies saying, "If not for the heroic efforts of the officers and dispatchers of the Littleton Police Department and Littleton Fire Rescue, the toll could have been much worse."

Resident Michael Craig Mitchell, 70, a Vietnam war veteran, died on his birthday in the blaze.

Related: 'Uninhabitable' – Senior Building Not Safe After Fire
Related: 1 Dead, 12 Injured In Littleton Early Morning Senior Housing Fire