Electrical Arc, Burning Candle Eyed in Fatal Aurora Fire

Foul play ruled out in early Sunday morning fire that killed six people, including three boys

The cause of a fire that tore through a multi-unit building in Aurora, claiming the lives of six people over the weekend, remained undetermined Wednesday, but officials said it didn't appear to be suspicious in nature.

Investigators have been able to rule out many possible causes and are left with the possibility that the fire was caused by an electrical arc from a television set or an unattended candle, Aurora's deputy fire chief, John Lehman, said in a press release.

They have been able to determine that the fire started in apartment No. 2, on the first floor of the building in the 700 block of Claim Street, and quickly spread to the second and third floor via a common stairwell.

"The hallway acted as a chimney, and the fire was able to race through the hallway, trapping those victims in their apartments," Lehman said Sunday, hours after the fire.

Three young boys were among the six people who died in the fire, which started a little after 4 a.m.
 

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