Residents helped a blind man escape out of an Aurora apartment after his unit caught on fire Monday near the city’s downtown area, Aurora Fire Department officials said.
Firefighters responded around 5:20 p.m. Monday to a three-story apartment on the 400 block of West Downer Place that was on fire. A person was trapped inside on the third floor, Aurora Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Rhodes said.
After the man was helped out of the building by other residents, he was taken to a hospital by paramedics for smoke inhalation and minor burns to his hands, Rhodes said.
It took 24 firefighters around 15 minutes to extinguish the fire. The man’s unit along with the third floor of the apartment building were deemed uninhabitable, officials said.
It is unclear if the second floor sustained water damage, Rhodes said. The fire was contained to the man’s unit, but there is smoke damage throughout the third floor, according to officials.
Victim services and the Red Cross were called to help several displaced families who lived in the building, Rhodes said.
Fire department officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
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