A southern Colorado man was cited on Saturday for arson, after a private controlled burn got out of control on the grassy plains east of Colorado Springs.
The small fire prompted evacuations in the communities of Ellicott and Peyton. At first they were mandatory until firefighters started to contain the burn and evacuation orders were relaxed to voluntary.
The fire started around 5:30 p.m. and spread to 150 acres in less than two hours, KOAA news in Colorado Springs reported. The blaze was quickly contained by 7 p.m., and the homeowner who allegedly started the fire cited with fourth-degree arson, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
UPDATE: Man cited with arson in eastern El Paso County wildfire Read more at http://t.co/57gKu6kGbZ pic.twitter.com/CJkcM7pjnP
— The Gazette (@csgazette) March 29, 2015
Colorado Springs is home to the state’s most destructive fires. In 2012, the Waldo Canyon fire burned more than 18,000 acres, destroyed 347 homes in Colorado Springs and killed two people. Almost exactly a year later, the Black Forest fire ignited east of Colorado Springs, and burned more than 15,000 acres, 486 homes and killed two people.
This year, El Paso County in southern Colorado has already had several small grass fires, although Saturday’s fire was the first this year to threaten homes.
