Aurora man charged with arson, death of dog in Dec. 23 apartment fire

AURORA | An Aurora man accused of purposely setting fire to his apartment, leading to the death of a dog, faces arson and cruelty to animal charges, according to Adams County prosecutors.

Abrigo Apartment resident Paul Daniel Clark, 45, faces three counts of arson and one count of cruelty to animals in connection with the fire, according to officials from the 17th Judicial District Attorney office. 

Firefighters were called to the apartments at 12170 E. 30th Ave., at about 12:30 a.m. Dec. 23 after reports of a fast-growing fire in a single unit, according to Aurora Fire and Rescue spokesperson Dawn Small.

“The flames were visible from a couple of miles away as fire companies approached the scene,” Small said in a statement. “When they arrived, flames and black smoke were visible on the east side of the three-story apartment building.”

Firefighters reached the complex within two minutes of the call, Small said. They were able to contain the blaze to the third-floor apartment where the fire originated.

While rescuers were combing the building to evacuate residents, a dead dog was found inside Clark’s apartment, where the blaze began, Small said. Two residents in the unit directly below Clark’s unit were forced to leave their apartment.

Firefighters said Clark had left his burning apartment and the building before firefighters arrived,

He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Small said.

“AFR fire investigators determined that the cause of the fire was intentionally set by the resident of the apartment,” Small said earlier in the week.

As of Friday, Clark was being held in the Adams County jail in lieu of $25,000 bond, according to county records.