NewsNational News

Actions

Floor collapses during house party in Denver, injuring three

The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced no criminal charges will be filed.
roof collapse.png
Posted at 10:21 AM, Mar 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-04 14:41:14-05

DENVER — No criminal charges will be filed after three juveniles were injured, including one seriously, when a floor collapsed during a house party in Arapahoe County in Colorado.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office announced on Twitter Wednesday that information from the investigation was referred to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office which declined to file charges.

South Metro Fire Rescue responded to the home near Aurora on Saturday.

A 911 caller reported that “people were dying” and hung up.

Firefighters said 100 to 150 juveniles attending a party at the address caused a portion of the first floor of the home to collapse into the basement.

Numerous people violently fell when the floor buckled. Video posted on social media shows a large crowd jumping on the first floor just before the collapse occurred, according to South Metro Fire Rescue.

The three injured juveniles were transported to the hospital.

Two of them sustained minor injuries. A third juvenile suffered serious injuries.

SMFR said there were others assessed on the scene who did not need to be taken to the hospital.

The department said any additional injuries were not reported to SMFR.

Firefighters said they completed searches of the entire home and confirmed there were no victims trapped.

To complicate efforts, the collapse also caused a natural gas leak, but crews were able to quickly shut the line off before it sparked a fire, South Metro said.

"It's truly remarkable that no deaths or additional injuries occurred," South Metro Fire Rescue said in a release. They did not identify the homeowners or those taken to the hospital.

South Metro said a building department official confirmed that too many people were occupying the space and their weight caused the floor to buckle.

A relative of the homeowner told sister station Denver7 that many of the attendees were uninvited and they crashed the party and trashed the home.

Fire crews worked to stabilize the structure and used emergency shoring to secure the damaged portions.

The extent of the damage is not known. However, the county deemed the property unsafe to occupy, according to a sign posted on the home Sunday.

This story was first reported by Robert Garrison at KMGH in Denver.