DENVER (KDVR) — New video shows the intense fire at a home in Green Valley Ranch that killed five people Wednesday morning.
The homeowner Amadou Sow and his family were on the second floor when he heard the smoke alarms go off.
“The alarm was ringing — beep, beep. Everybody got up. I opened the door but there was a lot of fire. I could not go that way,” Sow said.
Sow says that’s when he decided to jump from a second-story window.
There were frantic moments as he tried to save his wife and 11-year-old daughter.
“I told my daughter, ‘Jump to me from the window.’ But she said, No, no, no!’ She cried. So I told my wife to push her so I could catch her,” Sow said.
Sow was able to catch his daughter. Only later did he realized he had broken his ankle.
Sow’s wife also survived but is in the hospital receiving treatment for injuries.
Another family in the home did not make it out. Djibi Diol, his wife, their 2-year-old daughter, his sister and her 10-month-old son were killed.
The Denver Fire Department says it’s investigating to determine if the blaze was arson.
“We want to determine what it was not so we can ensure we can define what it was,” said Greg Pixley, a spokesperson for DFD.
A national Muslim group is now asking investigators to determine if the fire was motivated by hate.
Friends of the victims want answers too.
“We would like a thorough investigation and really know if this was truly an arson because if it was, none of us is safe,” Amado Dieng said.
A small memorial is growing at the home.
Sow said he did not hear anything before the smoke alarms sounded.
The president of Senegal tweeted out a message expressing condolences and that his country is watching what happened in Denver closely.