10 taken to hospital, dozens displaced after explosion and fire at Denver assisted living facility

DENVER — Ten people were taken to hospitals and dozens were displaced after an explosion and transformer fire at a Denver assisted living facility, officials said.

Firefighters responded at the Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus and controlled the blaze Wednesday, according to a Denver Fire Department statement.

The injuries may have been minor but more detailed information about those hurt was not yet available, department spokesperson Capt. Luis Cedillo said.

Another 87 people were displaced. The facility was boarded up and they would not be going back soon, Cedillo said.

“If they do go back, it will be only to pick up personal items in their apartments,” Cedillo said.

Residents would be able to do so only in apartments deemed safe, he added.

A preliminary investigation indicates a power line was accidentally struck during construction work, causing the explosion, the department said.

Resident Barbara Hinchey told KUSA-TV she was sitting in her chair when the blast shook the room.

“I felt the boom,” Hinchey said. “It rocked my chair, so I knew when the fire alarm came on that it was real.”

Hinchey walked through dense smoke to get out, but said there was no chaos or screaming.

The American Red Cross of Colorado said in a social media post that its disaster action team responded and volunteers were working to find safe temporary housing for displaced residents. KMGH-TV reported the Red Cross said that as of Wednesday evening, all residents had been picked up by family members or moved into temporary housing.