Two children died in the blaze.
update 8/19/2020 7:44 AM
Police have released a picture of the suspects.
The creepy still shows three individuals, each dressed in dark hoodies and full face masks.
Investigators say the trio intentionally started the blaze that killed five family members, before fleeing the scene in a dark four-door sedan.
Denver PD are offering a $14k reward for information leading to arrests.
Djibril Diol and his wife Adja, their 3-year-old daughter Kadidia, Djibril's sister Hassan Diol, and her infant daughter Hawa Beye, all lost their lives in the arson attack.
PLZ RT: Five people were killed in fire in the 5300 block of N Truckee Street. The fire appeared to be deliberately set by unknown persons who fled the area. Anyone w/info on this homicide is asked to call @CrimeStoppersCO at 720-913-7867 and you could earn a $14k reward! #Denver pic.twitter.com/7xbU2XQWDH
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 18, 2020 @DenverPolice
original story 8/06/2020 08:42 AM
A family of five has been killed in a suspected arson attack in Denver.
Djibril Diol, his wife, daughter, sister and niece all perished in a house fire in Green Valley Ranch, which investigators believe may have been set intentionally.
Three more adult residents managed to escape with their lives by jumping from the second floor; all five victims were found dead on the bottom level.
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View StoryAccording to the Denver Post, the family had immigrated from Senegal in recent years; they were staying at their friend's home until they could find one of their own.
The alarm was raised by a Denver police officer who noticed smoke in the area; police and firefighters descended on the address shortly after 2:30 AM Wednesday morning.
They quickly determined there were people trapped inside — but it was too late to save them.
Fire Captain Greg Pixley said officers valiantly tried to get into the home to rescue those trapped, but were beaten back by intense flames.
He said the horrific tragedy could have been even worse, had firefighters not managed to stop the spread of the fire to the surrounding houses.
Denver Police Chief Joe Montoya confirmed the investigation is a homicide one.
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View Story"We have indication through some evidence that it was an arson," he said, but refused to elaborate any further for fear of derailing the investigation.
He said that there was no indication of any prior trouble at the address.
Friends of the family in the tight knit community said Diol was an engineer, while both his wife and sister worked for Amazon.
"What would our community do to be a target?" one friend asked the publication.
A GoFundMe to raise money to repatriate the remains has already raised over $60k.
"This is a devastating time for Denver, for this community, and our hearts and our prayers go out to this community," Pixley added. "We really want people to understand that we do feel for them right now."
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