The Denver coroner on Wednesday officially identified the two men killed when a five-story apartment caught fire March 7 in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Roberto Flores Prieto, 29, was found dead in the building at about 3:52 p.m. on the day of the fire. His colleagues at United Insulators previously identified him, noting that he was the father of two young children. They said he was working on the fifth floor of the building at 1833 Emerson St. when the fire broke out and was unable to escape.
The second man killed in the three-alarm fire was identified as Dustin Peterson, 37. His body was found Thursday afternoon. A GoFundMe campaign raising money for Peterson’s funeral expenses said that a lift was available for him to jump to safety.
Peterson’s mother, Maureen, said her son was on the third floor when the fire started.
“They put a lift right next to the building for him to get on,” she said. “And everybody heard someone screaming from inside. Dustin turned around and went back in.”
“He went out a hero,” Peterson’s brother, Dan, told Denver7.
The coroner said in a statement that autopsies were performed, but the cause of death for the men remains under investigation.
A vigil for Prieto and Peterson is planned for 7 p.m. Friday near the corner of East 18th Avenue and Emerson Street.
The massive fire also injured six other people, damaged 13 buildings and destroyed about 30 cars that were parked nearby.
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/14/denver-capitol-hill-construction-fire-bodies-identified/
