What had happened.

Firefighters were unable to save a mother and toddler after a fire broke out in a four-plex early Sunday morning. 8 a.m. July 31, 2005.

The fire began shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday in the 1300 block of Swallow Road. When firefighters arrived, the four-unit building was fully engulfed in flames.

"I heard a boom, it woke me out of a dead sleep," said one woman. Other neighbors also said they heard an explosion. However investigators aren't sure whether the fire caused the explosion or if it happened the other way around.

Crews worked quickly to put the flames out, but despite their efforts, they were unable to reach a woman and a child trapped on the second floor.

Heather Bartsch, who lived in a neighboring unit, said she screamed at the woman to get out. "She said 'Oh my God' and then went back inside,'" said Bartsch.

Family members confirm 23-year-old Kris Kueneman and her daughter, Lilly, did not make it out alive.

Some people had to jump from windows to escape. Five people were treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation, burns or other injuries. One person remains hospitalized.

Firefighters say the building is most likely a total loss. People living elsewhere in the complex have returned home. The displaced families are either staying with friends or at local hotels.

The complex, which provides low-income housing to families with children, had smoke alarms. But because of Fort Collins city code, it was not required to have sprinklers.

The fire burned through the four-unit building 6 in the Care Housing complex on West Swallow Road in Fort Collins.

"It's just hard to believe that something like this could happen," says Heather Bartsch, a neighbor of the young woman who was killed.

The fire broke out a little before 5 a.m. Sunday. Twenty-three-year-old Kris Kueneman and her 8-month-old daughter were living on the second floor of the building and didn't make it out.

The fire was so intense that it melted glass and nearby cars. Investigators are checking to see if accelerants were used. They'll also save and sift through debris from the front of the building where neighbors say painting supplies were being stored.

Bartsch says she'll miss her friend and neighbor, Kris. "She was always just so willing to talk no matter how bad her day was, she was always there to cheer you up," says Bartsch.

Story and picture from 9news.com