DENVER – A Denver man is now trying to decide how to repair his house from the severe damage caused by an early morning house fire.

Zenon Pacheco says he’s lived in his home on Lipan Street for about 60 years, and this is the first fire he’s ever experienced.

Pacheco was sound asleep when the fire started around 2 a.m.

“I was sleeping, and the policemen came over here and started kicking my door down,” Pacheco said. “I thought somebody was trying to steal something, and I said ‘Hey! What are you doing?’ They said, ‘I’m knocking the door down because you’ve got a terrible big fire in the back of your house!’”

Denver firefighters and police officers helped Pacheco out of his house to safety, and he watched as they put out the fire.

“I seen a huge fire way up over there. I seen that fire just going straight up,” Pacheco said.

Denver fire investigators say the fire started in the dumpster in the alley next to Pacheco’s home and spread into his backyard. Flammable materials –  including gasoline, propane and acetylene - fueled the flames, which investigators say reached at least 50 feet in the air.

Arson investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire. The house next door to Pacheco and two detached garages were also damaged.

Pacheco says he cancelled his homeowner’s insurance policy years ago to save money. Now, he’s not sure how he will rebuild.

His family says anyone who would like to help should e-mail MargueritePacheco@yahoo.com.

(KUSA-TV © 2011 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)