Three electric boxes catch fire in three days

WESTMINSTER - Carol Skidmore was sound asleep in her Cotton Creek town home when she heard noises coming from a neighbor's backyard.

"I awoke hearing some popping noises," said Skidmore.

Flames were shooting out of an electric box.

"I looked at it a few seconds and I knew 911 was the next call," said Skidmore.

The box was one of three to go up in flames within three days around the subdivision this week. The three fires occurred on the 4100 and 4200 blocks of 111th Circle.

Xcel Energy says it is too early in their investigation to determine a cause and will only say it is a private customer issue.

A spokesperson for the Westminster Fire Department says the city's electrical division is also investigating.

Meanwhile, patience is running thin for residents.

"I can't even sleep, the minute a car goes by, I hear popping, so my husband and I run outside to see what it is," said Yemi Kidane, a Cotton Creek town home owner.

One theory is a power surge as the cause, but one of the electric boxes to catch fire belongs to a vacant home with no running electricity.

Residents living in two of the homes affected by the fires were told they may not have their power back for at least another week.

While utility officials investigate, homeowners will continue to listen for the next unusual noise.

"My concern is for my child and family," said Kidane.