DENVER (KDVR) — Nearly 90 people were displaced after an apparent explosion at an assisted living center Wednesday in southeast Denver that sent eight people to the hospital, according to the Denver Fire Department.

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The fire department reported the explosion Wednesday morning near East Harvard Avenue and South Quebec Street, where Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus is located, after initially saying on X that crews were responding to a structure fire that turned out to be a transformer on fire. The department had said the fire did not extend to any buildings but later reported the explosion inside the retirement community.

Construction work at the retirement campus led to the transformer fire and explosion, according to the fire department. During the work, a power line was accidentally struck, which led to the “explosion and subsequent transformer fire,” the department said on X.

FOX31’s Gabby Easterwood talked at the scene to a Denver Fire Department spokesperson, who explained fire crews’ initial response to the fire, then to the explosion.

“As they continued their investigation, they realized something bigger was going on inside the premises and realized there was an explosion inside the building,” Denver fire spokesperson Luis Cedillo said.

Ten people were evaluated for injuries, and eight of those people were transported to a hospital, the fire department later said. The fire department could not give any details about the injuries.

Everyone in the building was evacuated, and no one is being allowed back in, the fire department said. Cedillo also explained the difficulty in evacuating people with disabilities safely in situations like these.

“One of the things that makes it really hard for us is we have to make sure that people are safe especially when you’re dealing with people with disabilities and they can no longer self-extricate, it takes us a little bit longer to assist them out of the building,” Cedillo said.

A total of 87 people were displaced. The fire department said they will be transported to another location, and the American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming said on X that they are assisting those displaced.

“Our volunteers are working with displaced residents to identify safe short term housing until they can return home,” according to the post.

FOX31 has a crew at the scene gathering more information.

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