Green Valley Ranch Deadly House Fire: $14,000 Reward Offered

DENVER, CO — Denver police have announced a $14,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in an arson case that left five people dead. The fire broke out Wednesday in a home in the city's Green Valley Ranch neighborhood, and five members of a Senegalese-American Muslim family died. The case is being investigated as a homicide, the Denver Police Department announced in a news conference Friday.

A police officer saw the fire at 5312 North Truckee Street and called fire crews around 2:40 a.m. The officer tried to rescue people inside the home, but was pushed back by the heat, fire officials said. When firefighters arrived, the home was engulfed in flames.

Three people jumped from the second story, but the five family members remained inside the home and died, the Denver Fire Department said.

The victims have been identified as parents Djibril and Adja Diol, their 3-year-old daughter Kadidia, Hassan Diol and her baby daughter Hawa Beye.

A fundraiser has been launched to help pay for a memorial service and support the remaining family members.

"Djiby, his wife, his sister, his daughter and his niece all passed away. Djiby a cared for his family, his brothers and parents," the post read.

"Djiby a young man with a promising future in Civil Engineering has left behind a community that he so deeply loved and cared for. We are saddened by the loss of a loving Dad, a nurturing husband, and a caring brother to all of us."

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The Washington, D.C.-based civil rights organization Muslim Advocates is calling on Denver police to launch a hate crime investigation.

"We are praying for the family and friends of those killed in the fire," Scott Simpson, Muslim Advocates' public advocacy director, said in a statement.

"Our hearts are also with Denver's Senegalese community and all Denverites. Law enforcement authorities must take this suspected murder and arson seriously. Muslims in Colorado may have been threatened by hate-motivated arson before and hate crimes in the state are on the rise.

"We call on law enforcement to immediately investigate whether the deadly fire in Green Valley Ranch was motivated by hate. The family of those lost and the Muslim community in Denver deserve justice and peace of mind."

Denver police said it's too early in the investigation to determine whether hate was the motivation behind the crime.

In a news conference Thursday in Green Valley Ranch, Mayor Michael Hancock said he has "full faith" that Denver police will conduct a thorough investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Callers can remain anonymous.

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