Arson hasn’t been ruled out in a fast-moving grass fire that burned nearly 14 acres in southeastern El Paso County and prompted temporary evacuations for 67 properties Tuesday.

El Paso County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said Thursday that the fire was “human caused,” but investigators had not determined if the blaze had been intentionally started.

“It’s unknown at this time if it was an act of arson,” Kramer said in an email to The Gazette. “As far as the investigation, it is human caused. Also, no indications of a controlled burn in that area.”

The fire was reported about 2:30 p.m. near the 22700 block of Sage Brush Lane, east of South Peyton Highway. Residents of 67 homes were notified by reverse 911 to leave for their safety.

Although the blaze was contained quickly and burned a small area, Hanover Fire Chief Carl Tatum said, previous experiences with grass fires that grew out of control served as lessons for the “East Group,” a coalition of fire districts in eastern El Paso County.

“Everyone came together under one structured command, we had about 45 firefighters on scene from the Ellicott, Tri-County, Eddison, El Paso County Wildland and the Colorado Springs Utilities departments,” Tatum said. “We throw everything we can at every fire because we know that conditions out here are just right, with the tall grasses and strong winds.”

Tatum said a blaze that began as a grass fire in 2010 spread fast and burned nearly 10,000 acres from Hanover to Ellicott, destroying three homes.

The Waldo Canyon fire in 2012 was the tipping point that fostered cooperation among the fire districts, Tatum added.

High temperatures and winds led to a red-flag warning Tuesday when the fire hit.

The key, Tatum said, is keeping fires small.

“If we can get through this fire season with fires that don’t grow more than 100 acres, and no lost structures, I’ll be satisfied,” Tatum said.

The Sheriff’s Office is looking for information on how the grass fire in Hanover was started Tuesday, Kramer said.

Anyone with information can call the Sheriff’s Office at 390-5555.

Firefighters knock down hotspots on a 25 acre fire that resulted in evacuations in Hanover on Tuesday, June 3, 2014. The fire was located near Sagebrush Lane. (The Gazette/Jerilee Bennett)