Twelve hours after a fire ravaged their Aurora apartment building early Friday, many of the 60 displaced residents returned to gather their belongings.

Televisions, paintings, high-chairs for babies, furniture and plastic bags filled with clothes and various items — all were placed outside of the Galena Apartment, 1600 N. Galena St., while people continuously drove by, stopped, took photos and stared.

Ulises Gallegos and his family,who have have lived in the three-story brick building for over 22 years, and said last night was a nightmare.

“I was in the living room around (midnight) and started hearing some beeping noises,” Gallegos said. “My brother and I went out the door and saw a whole bunch of smoke and started knocking on people’s door.”

Leslie Aceves Padilla, 11, and her mother and two siblings were asleep when they heard the banging made by the Gallegos.

“We hear a loud banging on the door and hear screaming everywhere about a fire, and to leave,” Acevas Padilla said. “When we went into the hall you couldn’t see nothing and it was really hard to breathe.”

Ulises and Sergio Gallegos, while alerting others, also getting other family members, including aunts, uncles and cousins, outside of the building.

When they realized their family was all safe and accounted for, they grabbed rocks and began assisting residents stuck on the first floor.

“My brother, my cousins with me, all started breaking windows with the rocks that were around here, and got people out,” Ulises Gallegos said.

On the ground outside many of the first floor units facing the west side of Galena Street were pieces of broken glass and vinyl screens. Four units on the third floor showed scars of the flames — black stains along the brick outside the window frames.

Ulises Gallegos said the time from the moment he realized there was a fire to when the fire department arrived to the scene took around 10 minutes, but each minute that passed felt like an “eternity.”

During that time, Ulises and Sergio Gallegos say, they saw at least three people jump out of units on the third floor.

While officials battled the flames, the Gallegoses said nearby neighbors brought clothes, water and comfort to the families in absolute shock.

Officials from the Aurora Fire Department said on Friday that one person had died and fours others were sent to the hospital.

One person is said to have suffered life-threatening injuries, but the status of the other three residents is unknown.

While families returned to their former homes, residents embraced one another and emotions ran high. One passing cyclist saw the apartment building and felt the urge to stop and pray.

“My faith tells me that God is still in charge, and I wanted to stop and ask him to care for these people who are being affected by this situation,” said Amy Van Vranken.

Both the Gallegos’ and Aceves Padilla families having temporary housing with friends and family; but what comes next is hard to think about.

“We have no idea (what we’re going to do) right now. We’ll have to see if we can find another place, and start over,” Ulises Gallegos said. “Maybe it was a sign to start over, but it’s crazy.”

The Red Cross is working with the families of those displaced by the flames, but officials said that every family had a place to stay Thursday night.

The investigation into the fire is ongoing.