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For years, the iconic Gates Rubber Factory complex near Broadway and West Mississippi Avenue has been slated for demolition and redevelopment but has been delayed by environmental concerns and the economy, notes 9News. As such, it apparently remains irresistible to curious trespassers like the 17-year-old girl who was exploring the site this weekend with a group of teenagers when she fell 45 feet from a warehouse roof. The girl, who was hurt but is apparently in stable condition, was cited for trespassing, and Denver Police Department spokesman Sonny Jackson tells the Denver Post he considers the situation “very serious and very dangerous.”
Gates has long been alluring to “urban adventurers,” writes Westword, and has appeared on Urban Explorers, a Discovery Channel reality show. While the space may be fascinating, it can also be treacherous: In 2007, a Metropolitan State College of Denver student fell through a hole in a floor and died shortly thereafter.