Huge fire rips through Denver construction site, spans entire city block

A massive fire broke out Friday evening at a Denver apartment construction site, spanning an entire city block and forcing evacuations throughout the surrounding neighborhood.

According to the Denver Fire Department, calls began coming in around 6:45 p.m. Friday, reporting heavy smoke at an apartment construction site near South Leetsdale Drive and South Forest Street.

Robert Murphy, Operations Division Chief for Denver Fire, said the flames spread rapidly across the structure.

“The fire ran freely from one side of the building to the other,” Murphy said. “The apartment complex takes up a complete city block — and it was all on fire.”

Fire crews battled the blaze throughout the night, with flames reportedly reaching up to 150 feet into the air. As of early Saturday morning, the fire was still actively burning, more than 12 hours after the first calls were received.

Several nearby neighborhoods were evacuated as a precaution, though most residents were allowed to return to their homes early Saturday morning.

Our partners at 9NEWS will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.