AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Residents are on standby as Aurora Fire Rescue investigates an apartment explosion that happened on Saturday.
Matt Lynn and hundreds of others filed into Parkside Collective on Sunday to gather their belongings.
“We had about 15 minutes to retrieve essential items and so it was kind of like a mad grab to get medications and essentials toiletries. Grabbed a couple of plants. I had a few friends to help me, fortunately,” Lynn said.
Lynn, now homeless himself, is a homeless strategy consultant. He said his main concern is what’s next, because he says if this is a long-term displacement, it could create a 50% increase in sheltered homelessness in Aurora.
“We are all one unfortunate event, or two missed paychecks, away from being homeless,” Lynn said. “That’s just the reality for all of us. And so for me, if anything, it’s a reminder that as much as we may think we are insulated from living on the street, it doesn’t require more than an unfortunate circumstance or two for that to happen.”
A timeline for if and when they will be able to move back in is unknown and communication from the complex has been minimal.
“Only thing that we’ve heard was an email that went out yesterday that basically said we have no information to share at this time in regard to the status of the building. I would love to have more communication from the property management in terms of the best way to go about making arrangements,” Lynn said.
What Parkside Collective inspection records show
But how could such a new building wreak such havoc? FOX31 reached out to the city about inspections and learned Aurora Fire is responsible for them. A city spokesperson sent this information:
“Generally, it appears most of the building inspections were completed mid- to late-year in 2021. The Temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued in July 2021, which is when the city would have permitted tenants to move in. The actual date when tenants started moving in would have to be obtained from the leasing company. October 2021 was the last building inspection we completed on the property. Feb. 23, 2022, was the date of issuance for the Certificate of Occupancy.”
Aurora Fire sent a statement that said, “Investigators do not have reason to believe the cause of the explosion was malicious in nature. The investigative process is still ongoing and is expected to last several weeks.”
Several weeks could present major issues for the building’s tenants.
“For me, at the end of the day it’s an inconvenience, but I think, for example, there’s a mother that was hauling up the stairs yesterday with her belongings that was a day away from giving birth. There are people that are in precarious situations, situations that are much more difficult than my own. So I worry about my neighbors,” Lynn said.