2 Victims In Denver Construction Fire Identified

DENVER, CO -- Two men whose bodies were found last week in the charred ruins of the massive construction site fire March 7 were identified by authorities.

The Denver Medical Examiner's office identified Roberto Flores Prieto, 29, and Dustin Peterson, 37, as the two workers who were killed in the fire that destroyed the five-story apartment building under construction and damaged several other buildings in the 1800 block of Emerson in Denver's North Capitol Hill neighborhood.

The fire was one of the biggest seen in Denver in years, and took 100 firefighters more than an hour and 20 minutes to extinguish. The heat from the blaze was so strong it damaged around 30 cars in a nearby parking lot as well as several construction vehicles and three fire trucks. Several people broke bones jumping to safety from the second and third floors of the burning building and others were injured trying to catch them, said Denver Fire spokesperson Cap. Greg Pixley. A person was seriously burned and a fire fighter was hospitalized for minor burns.

Flores Prieto's body was found the day of the fire. He had been working on the fifth floor of the building at 1833 N. Emerson, co-workers at United Insulators said. Flores Prieto was praised by his colleagues as "an excellent employee for United Insulators and was genuinely a fine human being. He will be sorely missed by everyone he worked with for the last three+ years at United." Flores Prieto was married with two children.

Colleagues set up a GofundMe account to help pay for funeral expenses and to fly his parents into Denver from Mexico.

Roberto was caught in that awful fire at 18th and Emerson. There was no way out. He was on the fifth floor working when the fire broke out. We are trying to raise money to get his parents here (from Mexico) on an emergency visa. We also want to help his wife and his two children.

The body of electrician Dustin Peterson was found last Thursday afternoon. A GoFundMe account set up for funeral expenses by a relative, Hannah Peterson describedPeterson as returning back into the flames after escaping workers heard screaming.

Dustin Peterson died March 7th, 2018 in the Denver fire. The lift was available for him to jump but before he did, everyone heard a scream. Dustin ran back in to save him which costed him his life. He died in the fire trying to save another.

A candlelight vigil is planned for Friday at 7 p.m. at the fire site for the two men who were killed.

Image via Denver Police Dept.