Fires at two homes next door to each other are being ruled as not suspicious, according to Sterling Fire Chief Lavon Ritter.
Ritter said firefighters were first called to fires at 601 and 605 Meadows St. in north Sterling at 3 a.m. Sunday.
Photos provided by Sterling Fire Department showed that the home at 605 Meadows was more severely damaged of the two. Ritter said a ceiling in one of the homes collapsed while firefighters were inside, slightly injuring three firefighters. The three were taken to Sterling Regional MedCenter to be checked, but then released.
Ritter said two other people also were transported to SRM with injuries, but the extent and their conditions were not known. He said several animals also were rescued from the homes.
While the cause of the fires is not yet known, Ritter said a thorough investigation by Sterling Police Department detectives and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control investigators was done.