BOULDER COUNTY

Louisville woman faces felony arson charges in connection with June fire

A Louisville woman was served a felony summons for arson on suspicion of setting a June 14 fire between Flagstaff and Boulder Canyon drives, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.

The summons served to Zasquin Benally-Bartell, 31, is for two counts of fourth-degree arson. She is scheduled to appear on the charges on July 11 at the Boulder County Jail.

Fire investigators from Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks found two points of origin for the small fire. A deputy with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office tracked down the suspect based on evidence found at the scene and eyewitness statements, according to a news release.

The fire was reported in the evening hours and grew to about a quarter of an acre. The fire was extinguished before it caused damage to nearby structures. Agencies assisting with the fire investigation included the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, Boulder Fire-Rescue and the Louisville Police Department.

DENVER

Girl injured at shelter after falling six floors from open window

A 7-year-old girl was injured after falling Monday afternoon from the seventh-floor window of a Denver shelter onto a second-floor rooftop, according to authorities.

The child is expected to be released from the hospital soon, according to Jennifer Forker, spokesperson for the Salvation Army which manages the shelter.

The Tamarac Family Shelter, 7527 E. Hampden Ave., was a former Embassy Suites hotel that was converted into housing for families experiencing homelessness in 2023 as part of Mayor Mike Johnston’s plan to move the homeless toward stable, permanent housing.

The window the child fell out of was “a previously secured sliding glass door, fastened shut with screws and epoxy and clearly labeled do not open in English and Spanish,” Forker wrote in a statement.

“Unfortunately, the safety features were tampered with — contrary to The Salvation Army’s regulations and the signed guest agreement— and the door was opened,” the statement read.

The shelter provides housing for up to 204 families, and the staff check the window safeguards weekly, Forker said.

— Staff and Denver Post reports