UPDATE: 3:00 pm 

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office is releasing this information on behalf of the Palisade Fire Department and the Palisade Police Department:

The Palisade Fire Department and the Palisade Police Department have confirmed one fatality as a result of this morning's fire on Iowa Avenue in Palisade.

The Mesa County Coroner's Office will be responsible for releasing the identity of the victim, as well as the cause and manner of death. This remains an active and ongoing investigation.  If anyone has information about this case, please contact the Palisade Police Department at 970-242-6707.

Palisade Fire Department responds to explosion on Iowa Avenue

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office is releasing this information on behalf of the Palisade Fire Department and the Palisade Police Department:

This morning, at approximately 7:15 a.m., the Grand Junction Regional Communication Center received a report of an explosion at an apartment complex in the 900 block of Iowa Avenue in Palisade. 

When fire crews arrived, the small, 6-unit apartment complex was fully engulfed in flames. Multiple agencies responded to assist the Palisade Fire Department, Clifton Fire Department, Grand Junction Fire Department, Palisade Police Department, Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Debeque Marshal’s Office.  Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Division of Fire Prevention and Control, and Xcel Energy were all on scene to assist.  

Initial reports indicated one person was possibly trapped inside; however, we are still unable to confirm that information.  

The fire was extinguished within an hour and a half and remains in the mop-up stage at this time. The building is a complete and total loss.  Six people have been routed to the Palisade Community Center, located at 120 West 8th Street in Palisade.  The Red Cross has arrived to provide services to those displaced residents.   Officials are also on-site at the Community Center to try to help answer questions.

The origin of the fire is unknown. This situation remains active, and no further details can be released at this time. Further information will be released as it becomes available.