COLORADO SPRINGS – Colorado Springs firefighters have gained control of a fire inside the Regency Tower Apartments on the west side of the city.
Firefighters report there were no fatalities or serious injuries from the fire, which prompted a 4-alarm response Friday around 11:20 a.m.
A call to 911 reported carpet on fire inside a unit on the 10th floor of the high rise apartment building, which is located on Green Star Drive just south of Bear Creek Regional Park.
CSFD said the was such a large response due to the fact older residents lived in the building and the severity of the fire.
“We received multiple phone calls coming in saying ‘I’m trapped in my room.’ So we knew we had to get the resources heading this way,” said CSFD Lt. Don Watkins.
Five people had to be rescued using ladders. Everyone else on the ninth, 10th and 11th floors were evacuated, while other residents were told to shelter in place.
Lt. Watkins said firefighters have trained for these scenarios, leading to the quick response and containment.
“Our companies go out and train in these buildings every day,” Watkins said. “When they’re not doing the other training, they’ll come out and do what we call ‘pre-plan.’ They’ll sit and look at that building and say ‘What if the fire’s there? How are we going to attack that fire? How are we going to evacuate people.'”
As of 12:55 p.m., firefighters are still conducting secondary searches in the building. Air quality on the affected floors is still poor, so residents are being asked to remain outside.
Mountain Metro Transit has a bus on scene to help with the response as well.
Regency Tower Apartments Fire (Bill Gowan)
