Denver\u2019s Community Planning and Development department is having trouble tracking down the owner of a four-plex on South Lincoln Street that exploded the evening of Aug. 10, injuring one person and killing a dog.<\/p>\n
The cause of the gas leak and ignition that sparked an explosion at 457 S. Lincoln St. is still under investigation, according to the Denver Fire Department.<\/p>\n
The Denver Post would like to speak to people who were forced to move by this four-plex explosion. Anyone who would like to speak with a reporter should email Denver Post reporter Katie Langford klangford@denverpost.com.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, city officials have not been able to contact the property\u2019s owner, a company called DPC 457 LLC, spokesperson Amanda Watson wrote in an email.<\/p>\n
The planning and development department issued an emergency board-up\/fence work order and an order to comply to the property owner in August.<\/p>\n
Inspectors found that the building is unsafe and hazardous to life, health and property under Denver building code, according to the order.<\/p>\n
The owner is required to get a professional engineer\u2019s evaluation for temporary shoring so that the residents of a neighboring home can return without worrying about the remains of the four-plex collapsing. The order also instructs the owner to get a permit to demolish, rebuild or repair the structure.<\/p>\n
An inspector visited the property Monday to check on the progress of the cleanup and found that the structure has not shifted but that some fencing was removed, Watson wrote. A fencing company will return to secure the site while the planning department figures out possible solutions and next steps.<\/p>\n
The building\u2019s owner, DPC 457, registered as a business with the Colorado Secretary of State\u2019s Office on July 20, 2020, the same day the property was purchased for $1 million, according to state business records and Denver property records.<\/p>\n
The new owner transferred the property to DPC 457 through a quitclaim deed two months later.<\/p>\n
State records show the company\u2019s address as a mailbox forwarding company in Grandville, Michigan, and a registered agent company in Boulder.<\/p>\n
City inspection teams usually get in contact with property owners quickly, Watson wrote, but it can vary depending on circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this case, the owner is listed as an LLC out of Michigan,\u201d Watson wrote. \u201cThis presents its own challenges, but we will continue to investigate and do our due diligence to ultimately track down the owner.\u201d<\/p>\n