The explosion ripped apart a wooden maintenance shed abutting the south side of the building at 629 E. 78th Ave. about 9:15 p.m.
"It knocked the pictures off the walls, the whole works," said tenant Teri Miller, whose apartment was on the opposite end of the building. "The whole front of the shed is clear over on the other side of the parking lot. It's just gone. It just flew."
The cause of the explosion wasn't immediately known. Building manager Jim Wolford said the shed contained standard maintenance fare like lawnmowers, snowblowers, gas and paint.
The explosion tore into the end units, destroying at least two and threatening to spread flames down the length of the attic, according to firefighters. The roof collapsed at the end of the structure before firefighters managed to checked the fire's growth in the attic and keep it to just a few units on the end, Capt. Mike Melchert said.
Residents were evacuated safely, he said. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.