Firefighters Battle Blaze at Construction Site

DENVER (Manny Gonzales / Denver Post).- Flames gushed from the top floor of a large residential building under construction in unincorporated Arapahoe County on Sunday, creating a huge plume of smoke that could be seen for miles.

Flames shot more than 50 feet into the air, wowing dozens of onlookers, some who came with cameras in hand. Damage was estimated at $1 million.

No one was reported injured. The 32-unit, six-story building was one of at least six buildings that make up the Ballantyne Apartments, a sprawling complex expected to open soon at 10001 E. Dry Creek Road, said Andy Lyon, spokesman for South Metro Fire and Rescue.

No cause had been determined, but there were construction workers inside the building who were installing drywall when the fire broke out, Lyon said. The fire was reported just after 5 p.m., and was finally under control by 8:30 p.m.

It took 50 firefighters from area fire departments more than two hours before the flames on the roof of the building died down, he said.

"The chief declared it a defensive fire pretty early on, and we didn't want to put firefighters inside the building like this because parts of it can collapse," Lyon said.

Laura Hoeppner and her husband, Kevin Singel, of Centennial said they could smell the smoke from their home more than a mile away, on the other side of Interstate 25.

"I'm glad there were no people living here yet and that no one got hurt," Hoeppner said.

Marilynn Hill, an insurance adjuster who came with her daughter to marvel at the fire, said it appeared the building would need to be torn down. "I'm sure it'll be a total loss," she said.

McCanns keen to speak to police

Kate and Gerry McCann are willing to be re-interviewed in order to help the police rule them out as suspects in their daughter's disappearance.

The parents of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann and British expatriate Robert Murat are the only people to be officially investigated by Portuguese police in the case.

The McCann's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the couple were "anxious" for the police to complete the investigation into their alleged role in their child's disappearance and to officially eliminate them from the inquiry.

Mr Mitchell said: "If that means the police coming to Britain in the near future to re-interview Gerry and Kate and their friends, [they] are very keen for that to happen."

He added that the couple had no plans at the moment to visit Portugal but emphasised that they were willing to cooperate with the police.

In a statement on his blog, Gerry McCann said he was "extremely disappointed" that the couple had not been ruled out as official suspects as he felt that it was distracting from the effort to find Madeleine.

He said that he had now been back at work full-time for the last ten days, adding that he and his wife were still very busy with the campaign.

The McCann's recently spent their first Christmas without their daughter, who went missing from the Praia Da Luz resort on May 3rd.

Sub Prime Mortgage Workshops Throughout California

In keeping with Governor Schwarzenegger's efforts to keep Californians in their homes, his interdepartmental task force has scheduled a series of nine workshops throughout the state aimed at helping subprime borrowers avoid foreclosure.

The workshops bring lenders and consumers together to discuss options available to homeowners with rate increases looming or those who've already defaulted on payments due to interest rate increases.

The schedule is as follows:


Saturday, January 12th - Oakland

Thursday, January 24th - Bakersfield

Saturday, January 26th - Fresno

Tuesday, January 29th - Roseville

Saturday, February 2nd - Stockton

Saturday, February 9th - Downey

Wednesday, February 13th - San Diego

Saturday, February 16th - Sacramento

Saturday, February 23rd - Riverside


Homeowners are asked to bring their loan documents and other relevant financial information to the workshops to take advantage of on-site loan counselors.

The workshops last approximately two to three hours, and have been scheduled on evenings and weekends to encourage participation and are always free of charge.

For detailed information about the workshops, please visit www.yourhome.ca.gov/events or sucasa.ca.gov/events-sp.

Last month, Governor Schwarzenegger joined the OneCalifornia Foundation to announce a bridge loan fund for homeowners facing foreclosure in Oakland, which has the tenth highest foreclosure rate in the nation. The OneCalifornia Foundation Bridge Loan Fund is designed to assist homeowners that don't qualify for other assistance.


Governor Schwarzenegger launched a $1.2 million public awareness campaign - funded through existing consumer education efforts within the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency and the State and Consumer Services Agency - to help educate homeowners about options that can help them avoid losing their homes to foreclosures. He also announced an agreement with four loan servicers - representing 25 percent of the market - to streamline the loan modification process for subprime borrowers living in their home.

Earlier this year, Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation to increase protections for Californians who own or plan to purchase homes and to expand affordable housing opportunities. The Governor has also lobbied Congress to raise federal loan limits so that more California families can take advantage of these secure products, rather than relying on subprime loans.