Homeowner recovering after Thanksgiving Day fire

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CENTENNIAL – An area homeowner is recovering the day after a house fire left his home completely destroyed.

At around 11:56 a.m. the homeowner of 8295 South Krameria Way called South Metro Fire to report the fire.

Within five minutes crews responded to the scene and began attacking the blaze which started in the basement of the home but quickly spread to the garage before being fully involved.

No one else was home at the time of the fire but the homeowner, 49-year-old Albert Wallace, was taken to University Hospital as a burn victim. Officials with South Metro Fire say he had first and second-degree burns on his hands and face and was coherent when taken to the hospital.

He continues to recover at University Hospital Friday and is in stable condition.

In total 29 firefighters responded to the scene and officials say they believe the home will be a complete loss.

Bob Smith, EMS Bureau Chief for South Metro Fire Rescue said the cause of the fire was been determined as accidental. The homeowner, according to Smith, is a geothermal mechanic and was working on a heating unit with an alcohol-based product. There was an accidental spill of that product and the fumes were ignited by the water heater.

There is no damage estimate at this point but Smith says the home appears to be a total loss.

Friends of the family have set up the Wallace Family Rebuilding Fund at Washington Mutual bank. For more information call 720-488-8823.