Coroner identifies victim in Saturday apartment fire

The Larimer County coroner has identified the man who died in a west Fort Collins apartment fire Saturday.

Dustin Burch, 29, died in the fire. The coroner ruled his death an accident due to smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.

Just before 2 a.m., Poudre Fire Authority crews responded to the Cammire Condominiums complex at 2115 W. Plum St. after multiple people called 911 to report the fire.

Firefighters entered the second-floor apartment and found Burch inside, and he was later pronounced dead. Although a second person lived in the apartment, no one else was there at the time of the fire, according to PFA.

Crews had the fire under control around 2:15 a.m. There was heavy fire and smoke damage throughout the unit. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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This is the second fatal fire in Larimer County this month.

On Oct. 8, 32-year-old Rachael Max died after fire swept across the back of a home at 4512 Ideldale Drive. Investigators later determined the fire had been caused by oil-soaked rags that had been improperly stored by a contractor hired to stain the home's deck.

"Our community has experienced multiple tragedies in recent weeks and days," Poudre Fire Authority Chief Tom DeMint said in a statement. "These events have a ripple-effect that’s wide-reaching. Keep each other close. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. And know that we can get through this together."

Despite the events of this month, fire-related fatalities in Northern Colorado are rare.

A 66-year-old man died in a central Fort Collins apartment fire in 2017. Before that, the last fatal fire in Fort Collins was in 2012. 

This story has a correction: The central Fort Collins apartment fire was in June 2017.

Reporter Cassa Niedringhaus covers breaking news for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter: @CassaMN.